


The Bahamas

by My_Trex_has_fleas



Series: Folie A Deux [5]
Category: Poldark - All Media Types, Return to Treasure Island (TV 1996)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Blood and Gore, Bloodplay, Drugs, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Knifeplay, M/M, Murder, Murder Husbands, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-05-15 19:37:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 87,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5797201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Trex_has_fleas/pseuds/My_Trex_has_fleas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim takes Ross to the Bahamas for Christmas to meet his 'family'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Going On a Sort Of Summer Holiday

Ross wriggled in his seat and looked out the window, almost bursting with excitement. Next to him Jim sighed and opened his book, a Hiaasen paperback he’d bought for the trip. Ross knew that he’d be finished by the time they arrived. He’d never seen anyone read as quickly as Jim did. Still it didn’t stop him from bumping Jim’s shoulder and smiling from ear to ear at him.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Jim said. ‘Are you going to do this the whole flight?’

‘Probably.’ Ross said. ‘Have I told you how much I love flying?’

‘Well, at least one of us does.’ Jim replied, sinking down in his seat and frowning at his book. ‘Now leave me alone.’ Ross laughed and went back to looking out the window. It was a miserable day in New York but in exactly three and a half hours they would be in Miami. He had asked Jim why they weren’t flying straight to Nassau which took only an extra thirty minutes, but Jim had told him they would be visiting someone while they were there, a work associate of Silver’s. So to Miami they were going. Ross had never been and was looking forward to an evening out.

The plane taxied down the runway and took off and Ross settled down finally. He was feeling all sorts of things, but mixed in with the excitement and anticipation was a feeling of trepidation. After all it wasn’t every day that he got taken on holiday to meet his boyfriend’s family. And Jim’s disclosures, little by little, about his adopted father and the man he shared the island with had intrigued Ross no end. He just hoped that Silver liked him. Jim put a lot of stock in what he said, speaking very highly of the man who’d brought him up for half of his life, in stark contrast to his real parents. Jim never mentioned them at all, apart from saying they were from Somerset, and he had no picture or momentos of them at all in the apartment.

They took off, and Ross felt the pleasant sensation of being pushed back in his seat. He did truly love flying. He loved the cramped seating and terrible food and knowing exactly where the emergency exits were. Jim, on the other hand, loathed flying and had been like a bear with a sore head since they had woken up. They had originally planned on taking the train but then he’d received a call from Silver asking him to do something for him. Ross had no idea what it was. Jim had been deliberately vague as he always was, but Ross had learned that he was still somewhat involved and had some very interesting contacts which had come with working for Silver. The man Jim had called on the night he and Ross had ‘officially’ met for instance. He’d turned out to be someone from the syndicate Silver ran, and the car had been destined for one of the many chop shops in the city. No questions asked of course, which Ross was discovering was the way Jim tended to do business. Not that he cared too much. After all, Jim had told him enough to satisfy his curiosity and Ross was surprisingly good at keeping secrets. They’d been living together for six months now, and their lives had become so interwoven that he wouldn’t want to give anything away that meant he would lose what he’d just found. Mostly because Ross knew that he could never let it go.

The flight was uneventful. Jim stayed buried in Hiaasen, occasional snorts of laughter coming from behind the book. Ross got bored quickly and eventually resorted to sticking his headphones on and watching snippets of the films on offer. By the time they started to descend into Miami, he was more than ready to get off the plane. He was out of his seatbelt in seconds, standing and getting their bags out of the overhead locker. He chucked Jim’s one in his lap and took his down. It was new, a gorgeous black leather one that Jim had bought him as an early Christmas present. He looked down at Jim, impatience written all over his face. Jim heaved a sigh and put his book in his bag, zipping it up and undoing his seat belt so he could stand up.

‘All right.’ he said. ‘I’m going.’

‘Not fucking fast enough.’ Ross laughed, crowding up against him. ‘Now move, before I start dry humping you in front of these nice people.’ He gave the elderly couple sitting behind them a brilliant smile and they gave him a matching pair of bemused ones back. He managed to hustle Jim out of their seats and shoved him down the aisle until they were out the plane and then grabbed his hand and tugged him along behind him, Jim laughing as he was hauled into the airport.

They got into the arrivals hall and Jim started to look around. Ross tracked his gaze to an incredibly good looking young man in white shorts, loafers and a blood red Lacoste polo shirt. He was dark and tanned and his brown eyes sparkled as he sauntered over to Jim and grabbed him in a bear hug.

‘ _Hola Jaime_.’ he said and Jim hugged him back with one arm.

‘Hey, Richie.’ he replied and Ross immediately felt his hackles go up at the obvious and easy intimacy between them. He turned. ‘This is Ross. Ross this is Richie Vasquez. He’s Diego’s son.’ Ross knew that Diego Vasquez was the man Jim was supposed to be seeing and he backed down a little.

‘Hi.’ he said, giving Richie his best crushing handshake. Richie raised one dark eyebrow at him and then turned to Jim and laughed.

‘Jesus.’ he said, American accent as flawless as his brilliant white teeth. ‘This is one hot piece of ass you’ve caught yourself, Jaime.’

‘Damn straight.’ Jim said, smiling at Ross. ‘So keep your fucking hands to yourself or I’ll cut off your balls and feed them to Shandra.’ Richie threw his head back and laughed loudly, startling a group of Japanese tourists next to them. He slapped his hand on Jim’s shoulder.

‘ _Ai, papi_.’ he said putting his other hand on his heart and flashing that smile again. ‘That hurts, man. Your baby is safe with me.’

‘Like fuck he is.’ Jim said, a possessive arm going around Ross’ waist. ‘Just remember what I said.’

‘No problem.’ Richie replied, giving Ross a wink that was more than a little flirtatious.

The Miami air was like a dense curtain hitting him in the face went they left the air conditioned building. Ross put his sunglasses on, enjoying the heat. He trailed along behind Jim and Richie, listening to them talking and then realising that they had switched into Spanish. He tried to follow, catching the occasional word here and there which sounded similar to French, but they were talking at breakneck speed and using a lot of dialect that was completely foreign sounding. They got the parking and Richie led them to a silver Mercedes SLR. Ross threw him a look. Jim grinned.

‘Richie believes in conspicuous consumption.’ he said.

‘Fuck you, _cabrón_.’ Richie laughed.

***********

They drove from the airport in the bright sunshine to South Beach. Richie chattered non-stop, a constant flow of Spanish and English as he acted like a demented tour guide. Ross was sitting in the back seat, arms folded on the side of the car and gawking at all the muscles bound roller-bladers in thongs and tanned glamazons stalking up and down the boardwalk.

‘This place is like an LSD trip.’ he said to Jim. Jim laughed and turned to look at him. His reflective aviators reflected the sun into Ross’ eyes momentarily and he had to hold a hand up. ‘Stop it, you’re blinding me.’ Jim turned back around and Ross leaned forward to drape his arms around Jim’s neck.

‘We’re almost there.’ Richie said. He gave Ross a cheeky grin. ‘And then you get to meet my baby.’

‘The infamous Shandra I presume?’ Ross asked. ‘She your girlfriend?’ Jim and Richie exchanged a look.

‘In a matter of speaking.’ Richie replied.

They pulled up at a pair of monstrous ornate iron gates. Richie reached for a remote in the car’s console and pressed the button, pulling into the drive as the gates opened. As they drove in, Ross was a little alarmed to see that there was a security man with a gun strapped to his hip just inside the gate. Jim, however, didn’t bat an eye.

Richie drove the car up to the front of a magnificent Art Deco building, built from a most unusual pale green stone. He parked in the shade of a large tree and got out. Jim followed suit and opened Ross’ door with a smile at the look of amazement on Ross’ face at the sheer scale of the house in front of him.

‘It’s like a fucking palace.’ he said to Jim. ‘And it’s mint green.’

‘Wait till you see inside.’ Jim snickered. ‘It’s wall to wall gilt.’

‘I did live in a chateau for four years.’ Ross said.

‘Trust me, you are not prepared.’ Jim laughed. He shouldered his holdall and herded Ross in front of him towards the house. Richie was standing at the massive front door, a single slab of ebonised wood that was intricately carved with what looked like Egyptian motifs. Ross went through it open mouthed.

Inside, it did get worse. The floor was ivory marble and the walls were stark white. Every piece of furniture in the place was gilt or some variation thereof. There was a massive double staircase that swept down from the upper level to the ground floor. Richie strode in ahead.

‘ _Mami_?’ he yelled. ‘Jim’s here.’ He jogged into a room just beyond yelling ‘SHANDRA!’ Jim snorted with laughter and put his bag down.

‘Brace yourself.’ he said and Ross looked at him. Then he heard the clip of heels sounding from the corridor on the opposite side of the staircase. A woman emerged and Ross had to keep his eyebrows firmly in place. Her hair was magnificent, a raven black glossy wave that set off a heart shaped face and deep brown eyes that sparkled. She was wearing a leopard print pencil shirt and a tight black boat neck top that showed off a set of abundant curves and her hands were weighed down with enough gold and diamonds to drag her to the bottom of the ocean should she ever fall overboard.

‘Jaime.’ she exclaimed, opening her arms and walking over to him. ‘ _Querido_ how are you ?’

‘ _Hola_ , Estefania.’ he said and she hugged him, then took his face in her hands and placed a sound kiss on his cheek. When she let him go, Jim had a bright red lipstick mark on his face. ‘I’m fine.’ He turned and held out a hand to Ross. ‘This is Ross. Ross, this is Estefania.’ Ross dropped his bag and walked forward. He was surprised when Estefania threw her arms around him, enveloping him in a cloud of Mitsouko. She hugged him firmly and then kissed him like she had Jim.

‘He is beautiful.’ she said to Jim, giving Ross a good head to toe once over. ‘This hair.’ She ran her fingers through Ross' curls, made even more poodle-like by the humidity. ‘If I had hair like that… _ai_.’ She smiled and it made her face go from exquisite to human. ‘I have put you two in the pool house. I know how you like your privacy. And to be honest, Richie and Shandra are going through a screaming phase right now. Nobody needs to hear that. Thank fuck Diego sleeps on his deaf ear, that’s all I’m saying.’ She laughed and it was brassy and warm. ‘So how’s New York.’

‘Cold.’ Jim said. ‘Where’s Carmen?’

‘Still at school.’ Estefania smiled. ‘Did Richie tell you she got the highest grade point average in her class? And she got accepted to MIT.’

‘That’s brilliant. Just like her.’ Jim said. He sounded like a proud brother. ‘Carmen’s going into engineering.’ he said to Ross.

‘The first one in her family to go to college.’ Estefania said proudly. ‘My baby is smart, smart, smart. Not like you boys.’

‘Hey, I’m out of the life.’ Jim protested. Estefania’s dark eyes flicked at Ross, gauging his reaction. ‘It’s okay, Stef. Ross knows about me.’

‘Does he now?’ she said, and then her face grew serious. ‘Diego’s in the study. Go talk to him and I’ll show Ross your room.’ Jim nodded.

‘I’ll be back in a bit, baby.’ he said and walked off and disappeared down the corridor that Estefania had come out of. Ross picked up Jim’s bag and slung it over his shoulder before picking up his own. She took his arm.

‘Come on, let’s go find my appalling offspring and get you installed. And in the meantime you can tell me how you two met.’ Ross smiled in the face of her blinding enthusiasm and went with her.

***********

Jim walked down to the bottom of the corridor. Diego’s study was at the end, overlooking the garden. He could hear Diego’s voice, and knew from the cadence that Diego was currently giving someone on the other side of the phone a severe bollocking. He got to the door and went in, not bothering to knock or announce himself. He and Diego didn’t have that kind of relationship.

Diego was in his chair and he looked up as Jim came in and sat down in the one on the other side of the desk. He rolled his eyes at Jim and continued his diatribe. Jim waited patiently until he finally signed off with a threat to the listener’s testicles. Diego disconnected the call and sighed heavily.

‘These motherfuckers.’ he said. ‘They’re always trying to fuck you in the ass.’

‘Yeah, well. Some of us like that.’ Jim said with a straight face. Diego raised both eyebrows and stared at him. Then he burst out laughing. He got up, a tall man with a midriff that was just starting to expand. He came to Jim and hugged him. Jim hugged him back.

‘It’s good to see you, Diego.’ He stepped back from him. ‘That didn’t sound like it was going smoothly.’

‘There are days when I wish you were still working with us.’ Diego said. ‘All I would have to do is mention you were visiting and the _cabróns_  would all fall in line.’ He put an arm around Jim’s shoulders and guided him out of the study and through to the back of the house.

‘Well, I don’t do that anymore.’ Jim said. ‘I’m probably rusty as fuck.’

‘Bullshit.’ Diego said. He gave Jim a look, his dark eyes shrewd. ‘I don’t believe that for a minute.’ Jim laughed. More than anyone, apart from Ross, Diego understood. He had never said anything, not once throughout Jim’s adolescence and beyond, but Jim knew that Diego knew what he was. ‘Now, Stef tells me you’ve bought someone with you.’

‘I have.’ Jim said. They went into the kitchen and out towards the sun room which opened up onto the pool. It was huge, and the bottom was dark blue and gold mosaic which made it glitter in the sun. Floating in it was a vast hot pink lilo. Lying on it was an elegant leggy figure, wearing a pair of black bikini bottoms and nothing else. Jim turned to Diego.

‘I see Shandra is being her usual shy and retiring self.’ he said.

**********

Ross looked around the pool house. It had a super king sized bed in the middle and the décor was beach resort chic.

‘Jesus Christ.’ he said. ‘This is bigger than the apartment I used to share.’ Estefania laughed as she watched him dump the bags on the bed.

‘Larger than life, _querido_.’ she said. ‘We kind of like to do things this way. Except for Carmen. That girl is so goddam sensible, I gave up when she was fifteen. Now it’s all college and feminism and making her _Papi_ crazy.’ Her voice was full of pride.

‘So, Shandra is something.’ Ross said as she gestured for him to go over and then showed him the bathroom, all black marble and Jacuzzi tub. ‘Fuck, I’ll never get Jim out of there.’

‘Shandra’s a special girl.’ Estefania said. ‘She’s the only one who’s ever been able to handle Richie. Diego was a little scandalised when they met and he brought her home but Carmen and I adore her.’ She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked out at where Jim and Diego were now at the edge of the pool. Shandra had paddled over to the edge and was talking to them. ‘Now, come on. We’ll go have some frozen Margeritas and you can tell me all the gossip.’


	2. Dinner With The Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross gets to meet everyone.

Lunch was a relaxed affair with them all sitting out next to the pool. In the interest of decorum, Shandra had put on a floaty multi-coloured kaftan over her bare breasts, although it didn't so much conceal as accentuate her magnificent body and legs that were even longer than his. She reminded Ross a great deal of Cilla, although her height made her far more statuesque. She was now sitting with her bare feet up on the chair and puffing away on the Camel she’d bummed off of him, her scarlet glittery toenails catching the light and Ross was finding it very hard not to look at her. She was fascinating. He had had some exposure to the world of drag, but Shandra was in another league entirely. For one thing the pneumatic breasts were real, perfect tanned orbs that seemed to float on her chest. The other was that she never broke character according to Jim and she was completely made up with a colossal amount of waterproof make-up plastered on her face. He now also knew what Estefania had meant when she said Richie had brought her home. Shandra was from Puerto Rico and Richie had met her five years earlier when he’d first gone there on ’business’. He had brought her to the States three years previously and they now lived in a state of sometimes domestic bliss with Diego and Estefania. Ross found that he liked her enormously. Her squeaky voice and nearly incomprehensible accent had endeared her to him immediately and he’d spent most of lunch in conversation with her. Estefania and Diego had also been proven to be charming hosts, and their friendly conversation had made him feel at ease with them. Richie, on the other hand, was a little too loud and abrasive, although he was friendly enough. He hadn’t paid much attention to Ross, choosing to spend most of the time speaking to Jim in Spanish. It had gotten rather heated at several points, with both of them speaking so fast Ross was amazed that they could even follow what they were saying. It had finally been broken up by Diego.

‘Your father is becoming a hermit.’ he was now saying to Jim. ‘He’s refused to come to the mainland for three months in a row.’ He hammered the crab leg he was holding and extracted the flesh, handing it to Estefania who managed to make dunking it in Marie Rose sauce and consuming it with relish look elegant.

‘John’s always been a hermit. He’s just getting crankier in his twilight years, that’s all.’ Jim said, still a little short in his tone. ‘I remember him chasing a bunch of college scuba divers off the cay with a loaded shotgun two years ago.’

‘He despairs of you.’ Richie laughed. ‘Keeps saying you don’t come down enough. I have to say I agree with him. Why the fuck you spend all your time in that shithole in the cold is beyond me.’

‘I like New York.’ Jim said, and Ross was surprised to hear he sounded a little defensive. ‘And I’m in my fucking twenties for Christ’s sake. What the fuck was I going to do out there?’

‘Don’t get him wrong.’ Estefania said soothingly, glaring at Richie. ‘He’s very proud of you. I think he just misses you a lot.’

‘He could always come and visit me.’ Jim grumbled and Ross was amazed to see that he now resembled a stroppy teenager rather than the phlegmatic person he was used to seeing. ‘But do you think he ever will? Like fuck. Hell would freeze over before he set foot there.’

‘See what you’ve done?’ Estefania backhanded Richie in the arm. ‘Now, he’s sulking.’

‘I’m not fucking sulking.’ Jim said, sounding sulkier than Ross had ever heard him. It was astonishing. The Vasquez family all snickered at his reaction.

‘You have to forgive us.’ Diego said to Ross in an aside. ‘We never get to see Jim so when we do we make up for lost time.’

‘By ganging up on me.’ Jim snorted. ‘ _Como malditos tiburones_.’

‘Only much prettier.’ Richie said.

‘That’s fucking debatable.’ Jim retorted. He had his arms folded now. ‘Christ only knows how the fuck Shandra wakes up to that every morning.’ Richie’s grin grew wider. He opened his mouth to retaliate but a stern look from his father shut him down. He tried a different tack.

‘So, are you going to come out with us tonight, Ross? Or has Jaime turned you into a housecat, like he is?’ he said, and Ross looked up from his plate with a startled expression.

‘I…’ Ross looked at Jim but got no help because Jim was throwing murderous looks at Richie over the table.

‘This housecat will fuck you up, _pajero_.’ he said and his voice had that low tone that Ross now was able to recognise as being more than just a snit.

‘Bring it.’ Richie’s smile was dazzling. Estefania sighed and shook her head.

‘Two hours.’ she lamented. ‘You haven’t seen each other for eleven months and all it fucking took was two hours.’ She sighed and shook her head, leaning over to Ross. ‘They’ve always been like this. You’ll get used to it.’

‘Too much testosterone.’ Diego said, also shaking his head in a way that was a mirror image of his wife’s. ‘They were worse when they were younger.’ He gave them both a fond look. ‘How many times did I have to knock your heads together?’

‘Too many.’ Jim replied. He was a little more relaxed now. ‘And in answer to your question Richie, I’ll think about it.’

‘Ay.’ Shandra’s nasal voice was penetrating. ‘You and Ross must come out, Jim.’ Her accent changed the ‘J’ so ‘Ch’ and the ‘i’ to ‘ee’. ‘It will be fun.’

‘Also debatable.’ Jim snorted.

**********

They didn’t stand a chance.

Now Ross was getting dressed and listening to Jim clatter around the bathroom. He eventually came out in a towel and a bad temper.

‘He’s such a wanker.’ he said for the hundredth time that afternoon. ‘I don’t know why I let him get to me.’

‘It’s quite cute actually.’ Ross couldn’t resist saying. ‘Like you’re brothers.’

‘Yeah, well we kind of are.’ Jim replied. He came over and took the tie from Ross’ hand, putting it around his neck and tying it expertly. ‘Richie and I have known each other since I came to live with John. And I suppose you can’t really choose your relatives.’ Ross watched him, a smile on his face.

‘They’re lovely though.’ he said. ‘Much nicer than my family.’

‘They’re all psychotic.’ Jim said, but he was also smiling. He gave Ross’ tie a critical look. ‘All done.’

‘You know, I did go to boarding school.’ Ross said.

‘And it is a source of constant amazement to me that you weren’t expelled for being completely unable to tie a knot correctly.’ Jim replied. He took off the towel and Ross allowed himself a moment of shameless ogling.

‘I bet you were fucking cute in school uniform.’ he said and Jim raised an eyebrow at him.

‘I was.’ he replied.

By the time he finally started getting dressed, Ross was bored. He wandered out to the pool, lighting a cigarette. Richie was already there, smartly dressed in a black suit and sitting at the table and drinking a tall glass of rum and coke with a cigarillo in his hand.

‘Ross.’ he called, smiling at him. ‘Come and sit with me.’ Ross went over and Richie rolled his eyes up towards the second storey of the house. ‘Shandra takes fucking ages to get ready.’ Ross chuckled.

‘She looks fucking amazing for it though.’ he said.

‘She does.’ Richie replied. ‘She’s one in a million.’ He gave Ross a speculative look. ‘I have to say though, that you were not what I was expecting.’

‘No?’ Ross frowned through the cloud of smoke around him. ‘What were you expecting?’

‘Someone not quite so intelligent.’ Richie said. ‘Jim usually likes them dumb as a post. He never thought it was worth the trouble and stupid boys ask fewer questions.’ There was a sly note in his voice.

‘Maybe, he decided I was.’ Ross said, looking down to hide his smile.

‘Or maybe he found someone he doesn’t need to hide from.’ Richie said and Ross looked up at him. Richie’s brown eyes were a lot sharper than he’d previously noticed. He made a mental note to watch what he said and did more carefully around him.

‘Why would he need to hide?’ he said, his voice neutral. Richie shrugged.

‘No reason.’ he said. ‘Just a thought.’ The affable smile was back, but the damage was done. Ross suddenly realised that Richie was probably every bit as dangerous as Jim was. Strangely, the thought didn’t really perturb him all that much.

‘You’ve known him a long time.’ he said, deciding to stir things up a bit and see what floated to the surface. ‘I’m surprised I’m the first bright one he’s ever brought home.’

‘You’re the first one anything he’s ever brought home.’ Richie’s tone was serious. ‘That alone makes you very special.’

‘Really?’ Ross was taken aback. ‘He’s never brought anyone to meet you before?’

‘Not one.’ Richie cut him off. ‘I don’t know what you did to get him to fall in love with you, but it worked.’ Ross felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

‘Oh.’ It was all he could think of to say. This time the smile he got from Richie was sincere in its delight.

‘Oh, man.’ he laughed ‘You had no idea did you?’

‘Well, it’s been six months and he hasn’t said it.’ Ross said. This was actually the first time he was voicing his doubt out loud. He‘d said it several times, but each time had been met with silence, and although it wasn’t a situation that had caused him to doubt how Jim felt, it did niggle that it hadn’t been reciprocated yet.

‘He doesn’t say it. I think the only person I’ve ever heard him use those words with is John. And Carmen of course, but then she is his _nana_.’ Richie replied. ‘He’s never said it to me or my parents. But if you’re here and you know enough to have been brought here, then he loves you.’ Ross let this sink in.

A noise made them both turn. A girl was coming out of the sun room. She was exquisite, like a Renaissance dark haired beauty, all coltish limbs and thick straight chestnut hair. Her dark eyes sparkled and the smile she gave them was enough to make a thousand teenage boys drop dead form heart failure. She was casually dressed in denim cut-offs and a black tank top over a turquoise bikini.

‘Carmen.’ Richie said. ‘Come and meet Ross.’ Carmen walked over, and he put an arm around her waist. ‘Ross is Jim’s _novio_.’

‘I know who he is, Richie. I knew he was coming before you did.’ Carmen said indignantly before turning her attention to Ross. ‘So you’re him.’ Her smile grew wider. ‘Finally.’ She gave Ross a good look, and for some reason her scrutiny unsettled more than anyone else’s had.

‘It’s nice to meet you.’ he said and she moved to sit down next to Richie, tucking her feet up exactly the same way Shandra had. ‘I think I’m probably right in saying you know a whole lot more about me than I know about you.’

‘And you’d be right.’ she said, stealing Richie’s drink and taking a sip. ‘Think of me as the judging panel. I get to decide if you’re a keeper or not.’ Her words made Ross choke on his cigarette.

‘Shit.’ he said to Richie. ‘Precocious much?’

‘She’s just getting started.’ Richie laughed. ‘The CIA has nothing on this one. See Carmz, you should come with us to dinner. Then you can interrogate Ross all you want.’

‘I have better things to do, thank you.’ she replied as haughtily as only a seventeen year old could. ‘It’s a school night. Besides, Jaime said he and Ross are taking me out tomorrow with just the three of us.’ She gave Ross a conspiratorial grin. ‘It’s because he loves me best.’

‘ _Malcriada _.’ Richie retorted. ‘The only reason he loves you best is because you’re good at playing cute and adorable when we all know you’re actually the Devil.’__

‘That’s because I am by far the most intelligent person in this family and know the value of a good disguise.’ Carmen said and then promptly stuck her tongue out at him.

‘See what I had to put up with.’ Richie said to Ross. ‘A brother who’s a smart-ass and a sister who’s a know-it-all.’

‘Well, we were the ones who got fucked over if you ask me.’ Jim’s voice came out of the shadows as he walked up.

‘Jaime!’ Carmen’s squeal was ear-splittingly loud. She threw herself off the chair and into Jim’s waiting arms.

‘Hey _chiquita_.’ he said, wrapping his arms around her and picking her up off her feet. ‘I missed you. How are you?’ His voice was warm and Ross saw that his smile matched it. It was yet another surprise in a seemingly never ending stream of them. He’d not even known of the Vasquez’s existence until three days before they were due to leave and Silver had called to ask Jim to do him the favour that Jim refused to disclose. He’d only gone so far as to say that a friend was picking them up at the airport and that they would be staying with the man who’d required the favour. It had taken some needling to even get the names of the people whose hospitality they would be imposing on. But now watching them together, he was starting to realise that when Jim had said he was going to meet his family, he hadn’t been lying.

It was nice.

They finally left the house a little after eight. Ross was already starving, but Jim had warned him that the Vasquez family was on Cuban time. He was now in the back of the convertible with Jim with Richie and Shandra in the front as they drove down across the MacArthur Causeway to Biscayne Boulevard. They were going to a place called Il Gabbiano, one of Shandra’s favourites and a regular haunt of theirs. Diego and Estefania had taken their own car.

‘You’re going to love it.’ she said to Ross. ‘I swear it’s the most romantic place in Miami.’

‘Also one of the fucking priciest.’ Richie pointed out and got a look that could have chilled the air around them down a couple of degrees. ‘What? It’s true.’

‘You can afford it.’ Shandra said. Judging by her outfit, he probably could have afforded it several times over, Ross thought. He gone on enough shopping marathons with Cilla to recognise the designer effect that Shandra had going on from head to toe. She did look spectacular, the black and turquoise sequin mini dress showing off her bronzed limbs and her waist length hair was tied in a high ponytail that made her look equal amounts of severe and beautiful. And right now, that severity was being directed at Richie.

Next to Him, Jim had one elbow on the car and he was laughing at their bickering. Ross snuck a sidelong glance at him and was pretty sure he’d never seen Jim so relaxed before. In New York he was friendly and sociable with his work colleagues and Ross had accompanied him to several museum events and dinner parties so everyone Jim worked with now knew who he was and Ross had to say that he liked Jim’s circle of friends.

But here, watching him since they had arrived and now, Ross felt like he was suddenly seeing Jim properly. That this person was the one that hid behind his reserved politeness and self-confidence. Someone who fought with his brother and lavished adoration on his little sister, even if the bond wasn’t one of blood. And Richie’s earlier revelation that he was the first person that Jim had chosen to share this with suddenly made the lack of verbal confirmation that Jim loved him completely unimportant. After all, he knew enough about Jim now to know that Jim’s actions always spoke louder than his words. He had not, however, missed the fact that Richie was carrying a firearm in a very discreet shoulder holster under his immaculately tailored suit jacket. The only thing that had shocked him more, was realising that Jim was carrying too.

The combination of this knowledge and the equally immaculate suit Jim was wearing, something Ross had not seen once in their six months together, made for a heady combination.

They got to the restaurant and Richie handed the car over to the parking valet before putting his arm around Shandra’s waist and escorting her in. Ross smiled at the fact that in her towering Louboutins, Shandra was a good head taller than Richie was.

‘It’s a good thing he likes them tall.’ he said to Jim, who smiled and did the same thing, arm around Ross.

‘It runs in the family.’ he replied and gave Ross a heated look that made his skin tingle.

**********

Ross found out that dinner was not just dinner. It was also a business meeting.

They had been escorted upstairs by the maitre d’ and shown to a private dining area that had a large terrace that overlooked the harbour. It was already packed with people and Ross had watched as Jim had been greeted warmly by everyone there before taking Ross on a rollercoaster of names and faces. Now he was seated between Jim and Shandra, the table crowded with various members of Diego’s extended circle, all with wives and/or mistresses in tow. And because he knew what to look for, it came as no surprise to Ross that he could spot the tell-tale outline of a gun under every jacket present.

He had no idea what was going one, however, the rapid fire Spanish everyone was speaking making him a little dazed. Thankfully Shandra had taken him under her wing and was telling him the most outrageous gossip about everyone else at the table. Ross was spending half the time nearly falling out of his chair at how amazing the food was and the other half choking on it because he was laughing so hard.

He was also pleasantly surprised to see that not a single person had given him an askance look for coming in with his hand held very firmly in Jim’s. It seemed to be a given, and he felt very happy that the deference that was afforded Jim seemed to be afforded him as a matter of course. When he mentioned it this to Shandra, she screamed with laughter.

‘Of course.’ she said. ‘You are Jaime’s _novio_. If they even said something against you, they would be going home with their balls in a doggy bag.’ She speared a clam from her vongole and ate it. ‘You are like me and all the other wives. No-one will disrespect you, not with him being who he is.’

‘I’m starting to realise that.’ Ross said. He looked at Jim who was deep in conversation with the two men across the table from him as well as Richie and basked in the effortless self-confidence he had. ‘Is it a bad thing that I’m finding it a serious turn on?’

‘No, sweetie.’ Shandra laughed. ‘It just means you really are one of us. Now all you need is to get him to buy you a big diamond ring and you’re set for life.’ She cackled.

‘I notice you’re not wearing one.’ Ross said and her expression changed, her smile becoming positively filthy.

‘Who says I’m not.’ she said. ‘I’m just not wearing it on my hand.’ It took a moment for the penny to drop, but when her eyes flicked down Ross realised what she meant. His mouth fell open.

‘Really?’ he asked. Shandra winked at him, then leaned in to whisper in his ear.

‘Richie likes pierced cocks.’ she said. ‘Four whole carats right through, two on each end.’ She pulled back and now her smile was angelic. ‘You should try it. Jim will go through the fucking ceiling the first time he sees it.’

‘I think I’ll pass.’ Ross replied. ‘Jesus, just the thought makes me squeamish.’ Shandra giggled.

‘You vanilla boys.’ she said.

The dinner went on for hours, and the food and alcohol never stopped coming. By the time they got to dessert, Ross felt like he was ready to fall asleep under the table. He and Shandra had commandeered two bottles of champagne between them and drunk them both.

Now they were hanging over the balcony, smoking and looking at the lights of the boats down in the marina.

‘It’s kind of strange.’ Ross said to her. ‘Before tonight, I’d never actually thought about who he was.’ He looked at where Jim was now having a heated debate in Spanish about something with Diego and Richie and three other men who all looked like extras from Scarface. He was astonished to see how vocal Jim had become, his voice rising and falling and his gestures matching those of the men he was talking to.

‘Jaime’s like that.’ Shandra said. ‘He’s the most closed off person I’ve ever met. He keeps everything inside.’ She inhaled deeply and then did a perfect French Inhale when she blew the smoke out.

‘Richie said Jim loves me.’ Ross said, almost absently and then checked himself. ‘Shit. I must be drunk if I just blurted that out.’

‘He does love you.’ Shandra said. ‘He bought you to meet us. Jaime would only do that if he knew this was a forever thing. We are important to him, but he’s never allowed anyone to get close enough for him to want to show them that.’ She looked at him, her rich brown eyes sharp. ‘This is a risk he’s taking for you. You know what we are, what they are, right?’

‘Yes, I do.’ Ross said, eyes glued to Jim. ‘I know everything about him.’ His thoughts turned to nights in red illuminated tunnels, dying screams and the slick feel of blood under his fingertips.

‘And you haven’t run away.’ Shandra said. ‘A lot of people would have. Finding out your boyfriend is a criminal and a killer isn’t something that most people would be able to deal with. But then maybe you have your own secrets.’ Ross looked at her quickly and she smiled. ‘It’s the only reason Jim would keep you around. You intrigue him. I see it. He’s never met anyone like you before and you have something that draws him in and won’t let him go.’ She tilted her head, looking at Jim. ‘I have never seen him like this. He is so happy around you.’ Ross couldn’t help a pleased smile.

‘He makes me happy too.’ he said. ‘I feel like I found everything I’ve ever wanted with him.’

Dinner ended and the various parties departed one pair at a time. Jim was still sitting at the table with Diego and Richie.

‘Tomorrow we’ll go and see him.’ Diego said, his hand coming to land heavily on Jim’s knee. ‘And then you can take it back to Juan.’ He drained the last of his brandy from the snifter and set it down. ‘Now it’s time for me to go home.’

‘Not us.’ Richie grinned at Jim. ‘The night is young.’

‘Jesus fucking Christ.’ Jim said leaning back in his chair. ‘I can’t. I haven’t been salsa dancing in a hundred years, Rich.’

‘Bullshit.’ Richie laughed. ‘It’s not something you forget, Jim. And he looks like he can move.’ That was directed at Ross who was hanging over the balcony with Shandra. He noticed Jim looking at them and gave him a gorgeous and somewhat inebriated smile. ‘He also looks at you like you are the centre of his universe.’

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake.’ Jim said and looked at Diego. Unfortunately Diego just huffed a laugh and slapped a hand on the table.

‘He’s right.’ he said. ‘He does. I think this one’s a keeper.’

‘Now, look you two,’ Jim glared at both of them. ‘Carmen’s the only one that gets to make that call.’

‘Please.’ Richie snorted. ‘She’s already decided you two should get married.’ He frowned at his father. ‘They can do that in New York, right?’

‘I think they can.’ Diego’s dark eyes were twinkling. ‘A nice June wedding. Estefania will be crazy when she hears.’

‘Shut up, both of you.’ Jim hissed. ‘He might hear you.’

‘Good.’ Richie said. He turned to his father. ‘You know this asshole hasn’t even told Ross that he loves him yet.’

‘ _Madre de Dios_.’ Diego said, then gave Jim a sharp clip across the back of his head.

‘Jesus fuck!’ Jim exclaimed, reaching for his head with a hurt expression. ‘What the hell was that for?’

‘You finally find a nice boy you can bring home and you haven’t told him you love him?’ Diego shook his head. ‘You’re lucky I’m not your real father.’ He stood up, buttoning his jacket. ‘Now you boys go have fun and try not to fuck in the pool.’ He wandered over to where Estefania was saying goodbye to another couple and took her elbow.

Jim sat and watched Ross thoughtfully. He was interrupted by a bark of laughter from Richie.

‘You got it bad, man.’ he said. ‘It’s all over your fucking face.’

‘ _Váyase a la miera, Richie_.’ Jim replied, still looking at Ross.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eres como malditos tiburones - you're like a bunch of sharks  
> pajero - dickhead  
> niñera - little sister  
> novio - boyfriend  
> Malcriado - spoilt brat  
> Chiquita - little girl  
> Váyase a la miera - go fuck yourself


	3. Miami Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, that salsa dancing? Turns out it may be a thing :D

It took the collective bargaining skills of all three of them, but Jim finally relented and agreed to go with to the club. It was down on South Beach, just across the road from the sand, and Richie pulled up and parked outside.

‘And here it is.’ Shandra trilled, with a grand gesture. She and Ross had been poured into the back, neither of them being particularly steady at this point. 

‘Fuck me.’ Ross said looking up at the exterior, a riot of pastel colours and neon lights. ‘Okay, so this is by far the most extravagant thing I’ve ever heard of.’

‘Well, she said she would only come with me if she could keep her job.’ Richie said. ‘So I bought her a club.’ He got out and opened the door for them, helping Shandra out the back. 

‘Don’t get any ideas.’ Jim said as he came around the car and Ross laughed as he hauled him out the back. ‘I definitely cannot afford to get you your own theatre.’ 

They went inside and the thumping salsa music hit Ross like a hammer. The place was a half nightclub, half drag revue and it was packed to overflowing. Inside the walls were painted hot pink, like Shandra’s lilo, and lit with neon that matched the outside. It was like walking into a tropical rainforest, the air heavy with the exertion of the dancers that crowded the floor. Down each side of the long room were tables and chairs, all taken, and servers dressed in drag squeezed between the patrons with trays of brightly coloured cocktails.

‘This place is insane.’ Ross shouted to Jim, barely able to hear himself over the noise. 

‘You wanted to come.’ Jim shouted back. He looked grumpy already. 

‘Come on.’ Shandra grabbed Ross’ hand. ‘We have a table at the back.’ They made slow progress through the masses until they finally got next to the stage on the left. There was a raised and cordoned off area and Richie led them to it. It was booth and table, already set with glasses and yet another bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. Richie waited as they sat down and then leaned over and whispered in Shandra’s ear. Then he straightened up and smiled at Ross and Jim.

‘I’ll be back.’ he said and then turned and was soon lost in the crowd. And for the first time that evening, Ross noticed something flicker over Jim’s face. He looked at him and Jim eventually noticed that he was being watched and the look smoothed out and vanished as if it had never been there. Ross knew what he had seen though and felt a little twinge of unease. Jim’s spidey sense was unparalled and something was obviously wrong. He waited until a server dressed like Marilyn Monroe came to open the champagne and leaned in.

‘What is it?’ he asked and Jim shook his head, a tiny movement that could have been easily missed. 

‘I’m not sure.’ he replied. His previously easy-going demeanour had changed though, and his blue-green eyes were watchful.

They sat and drank, watching the dancers and Ross listened to Shandra talk about the club. He couldn’t help but notice that Jim was paying no attention to them. Instead he was following the movements of Richie, who had reappeared on the other side of the club and was moving between the tables, stopping to talk frequently so the patrons. 

He finally made his way back to them and sat down. Jim gave him a look and Richie leaned back against the booth.

‘What was that all about?’ he asked and Richie flashed his smile at him. 

‘Just being a good host, man.’ He said. ‘You know, you gotta schmooze the customers.’

Jim’s eyes narrowed and he said something in Spanish that made Shandra’s head turned at whiplash speed to look at him. Richie held up both hands and replied, his tone mollifying. Ross could tell from the sudden tension in Jim’s body language that he wasn’t buying it.

‘Just please fucking tell me, that what I’ve just been looking at is not what it seems.’ Jim said. His voice was stern and Ross was surprised to see Richie suddenly look sheepish.

‘I know what you’re going to say, but I have it under control.’ he replied. ‘She knows about it, and it’s all cool.’ Jim turned that laser beam stare of his on Shandra and she too looked shamefaced. 

‘You know about this shit?’ he said. 

‘It’s not a big deal.’ Shandra replied. ‘It’s just a little thing on the side.’

‘Fuck.’ Jim leaned back, copying Richie’s stance with a disgusted look on his face. ‘I take it Diego has no idea? Because if he did, he’d kick your arse from here to Nassau.’

‘Look, don’t you get self-righteous on me here.’ Richie’s voice went up in pitch. ‘You used to do this.’

‘No.’ Jim replied. ‘I did distribution. There’s a fucking difference. Jesus Richie, the first fucking thing we were taught was never shit where you eat. We bring it in and hand it off, that’s always been how we’ve done things. It’s what’s kept us safe and out of the fucking turf wars. You know that.’

‘It’s not big.’ Richie protested. ‘Just a little extra cash flow to help with the business.’

‘And if you get busted for it?’ Jim asked. ‘Then what. Then you lead the cops straight to you, your family. My fucking family, you selfish cunt.’ He was visibly angry now, the muscles in his jaw tightening. ‘Did you ever stop to think of what would happen to Carmen’s future if people find out her brother’s dealing out of his fucking club?’

‘Ai Jim, no.’ Shandra now looked visibly upset. ‘That’s not what we want, you know that.’

‘Then tell me why the fuck you’re going along with this?’ Jim said to her. Then he seemed to have an epiphany. ‘Holy fuck, please tell me you two are not fucking using.’

‘Not every night.’ Richie said. ‘Just sometimes.’ That seemed to be too much for Jim and he went off in Spanish at them. They got progressively quieter and quieter until eventually it just him railing at them until finally he got up and stormed off into the crowd. 

‘Well that turned into a fucking shitstorm.’ Richie said with a weak laugh. He got up. ‘I’ll go talk to him.’ He went off in the direction Jim had gone. 

Ross sat, his British sense of embarrassment now screaming at him to get up and bail. Across from him, Shandra looked ready to burst into tears.

‘I knew this would happen.’ she said. ‘I told Richie it was stupid, but he’s so stubborn.’ She looked at Ross. ‘It really isn’t a big deal. But Jaime is really funny about this stuff. For him, it was always business.’

‘Yeah, I’ve noticed that.’ Ross said. ‘He really doesn’t seem that into it for someone who used to work in the industry.’ He tried to keep his voice neutral to hide the burning curiosity he had about the matter. He knew Jim disapproved of drugs personally, which was beyond weird considering he used to sell them. But then Jim’s sense of moral indignation really seemed out of place considering what he and Ross had recently been getting up to. 

‘He had a friend who died.’ Shandra said and Ross’ ears pricked up. ‘A really good friend who grew up with him and Richie. They were like the Three Amigos. That’s when he got out of it.’ 

‘Oh?’ he said and she nodded and took a gulp of champagne. ‘Did he overdose?’

‘Not exactly.’ Shandra said. ‘To be honest I really don’t know. Richie doesn’t even know.’ Ross could tell she was holding back but decided to tackle Jim about it later. She heaved a sigh. ‘Tonight was supposed to be fun. You want to dance? I can teach you.’ Ross smiled, trying to put her at ease.

‘Sure.’ he said, and stood up. ‘Why not?’

*********

Jim was up on the mezzanine level, standing out on the terrace. Richie came up, his face contrite. Jim glared at him.

‘How long?’ he asked. ‘And don’t fucking bullshit me. I can tell when you’re lying.’

‘Six months.’ Richie replied. He came to lean over the terrace rail next to Jim. ‘Look, I know you think this is a colossally bad idea…’

‘That doesn’t even begin to describe how bad an idea this is.’ Jim said. He looked directly at Richie, his face a picture of concern. ‘You need to stop it before it gets to the point you can’t.’ He frowned. ‘Are you skimming or are you getting it from someone else?’ Richie’s guilty face told him the answer without him even needing to open his mouth. ‘Fuck, Richie…’

‘I know.’ And this time the shame in Richie’s voice was sincere. ‘It was just to keep things going here. Shandra would be devastated if this place closed.’

‘That’s not an excuse Richie.’ Jim said, but his voice was a little softer. ‘Is it back in the black again?’

‘Pretty much.’ Richie replied. ‘We still owe maybe about thirty grand.’

‘Then I’ll give you that.’ Jim said. ‘And you shut this down tonight. Last time you deal out of here or ever. You got me?’ He gave Richie a look that bordered on severe. ‘Ricardo? Do you understand me?’

‘Yes, James.’ Richie said. ‘I understand you.’

‘Good.’ Jim replied. He heaved a sigh. ‘You’re such a fucking wanker.’ Then he surprised the crap out of Richie by pulling him into a hug. ‘Pero siempre serás mi hermano.’ 

‘Fuck.’ Richie said into Jim’s shoulder. ‘Only you could bust my balls and I am the one who ends up feeling bad for fucking up instead of pissed at you.’ 

‘That’s because I’ve been getting your moronic arse out of trouble since we were kids.’ Jim replied. 

‘Jesus Christ.’ Richie said as Jim let him go. ‘I’m going to lose a shitload of money over this.’

‘Better to be broke than dead.’ Jim replied. He ran one hand through his hair. ‘So I won’t tell Diego you’ve been an idiot and you stop this.’ His voice was softer. ‘Please, Richie. No more.’

‘Okay, okay.’ Richie sighed. ‘No more. I promise.’ He put his hand on Jim’s shoulder. ‘Now please come down. I’ve missed seeing you and we’re supposed to be having a good time.’ 

‘Fine.’ Jim said. ‘But I’m not fucking dancing.’

He was forced to reconsider the moment they got downstairs. The sight in front of them was more than Jim thought he could possibly handle after all the drama he’d had so far that evening. For one thing, while he knew that Ross was an actor, his beloved only worked in plays. It had never occurred to him that Ross may have other talents in that particular arena. The second thing was that Richie had been right in his assumption. 

Ross really could move. 

He and Shandra actually made an amazing looking couple. They were the same height, and their elegant long legs made them look like they were made for each other. But it was the dancing that took Jim’s breath away. Sure, Ross was a little stylistic in his arm line but apart from that his footwork was sharp and he was keeping up with Shandra easily, no mean feat considering. He was also now minus his jacket, shirt sleeves pushed up on his beautifully sculpted forearms and his tie was hanging loose around his neck. He quite literally took Jim’s breath away.

‘And there’s that stupid look again.’ Richie said, elbowing Jim in the ribs. ‘You really want to tell me you’re not head over heels for that chico?’ He snorted with laughter. ‘Wait here.’ 

‘Where are you…’ Jim started but got no further as Richie was off again, lost in the sea of people. He looked back at Ross and Shandra and then he heard someone over the DJ’s sounds system. Not for the first time since they had arrived, he was immensely grateful that Ross didn’t speak Spanish. ‘You little fucking bastard, Richie.’ Then the strains of familiar music came on and he had to fight an urge to go over and punch Richie in his smug smiling face. 

Instead he walked onto the dance floor, knowing that he was probably about to make a complete idiot of himself. He stepped through the couples which had now slowed to match the beat until he was suddenly standing in front of Ross and Shandra. And while he was getting the benefit of two surprised pairs of eyes, it was only the ones that glittered like lake water that he was interested in. He shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie before taking it off and handing both to Shandra and his prospective partner gave him a look of such astonishment that he couldn’t help but smile. It was a moment to take out his cuff links and put them in his pocket and then turn back the sleeves of his shirt and roll them up.

‘You never told me you could dance.’ he said, a slightly accusatory note colouring his voice. 

‘You never asked.’ Ross said, moving into position. ‘Four years of ballroom. My mother thought it would help my posture. I slouched a lot.’ He smiled. ‘Shandra says I am too technical.’

‘You are a bit.’ Jim said, stepping in to put one arm around Ross’ waist and take his other hand. ‘Dancing Cubano style is a lot more down and dirty.’ 

‘I can do dirty.’ Ross replied, his eyes sparkling. ‘I think the more important question is which one of us leads?’ 

‘I do.’ Jim said and pulled him in.

On the side if the dance floor, Shandra watched as Richie came up to her. There was a smile on her face as she watched the two figures on the dance floor. 

‘Like they were made for each other.’ she said. ‘Look at how they move together.’ She gave Richie an admiring look. ‘Good song choice too.’

‘Jim is a lot of things.’ Richie said. ‘But when it comes to Doris Day, he’s gay as fuck.’

************

By the time they got home, it was just after three and Ross was a drunk sweaty happy mess. Jim thankfully was considerably more sober, not really given to excesses of alcohol, and he managed to extricate himself and Ross from the car without too much accident. Because he’d been the only one in any condition to drive it had been left to him. 

He stood and looked at Richie and Shandra who were frantically kissing in the back of the car, then sighed and shook his head. 

‘Come on you.’ he said to Ross, taking his hand like he was a small child and pulling him along.

‘What about them?’ Ross asked, looking over his shoulder just in time to see Shandra’s legs go up in the air.

‘If we move quickly enough, we’ll be spared the live sex show.’ Jim said. They made their way through the lush vegetation at the back of the parking area and into the back garden. The ambient light from the city and beachfront made it easy to see where they were going. 

The whole house was in darkness and they walked across the lawn to the pool terrace and then around to the pool house. Jim slid back the glass door and Ross stumbled in ahead of him. He got as far as the bed before his legs decided to give out on him and he fell over onto it. Jim laughed, low and extremely amused.

‘You’re a mess.’ he said with a grin. ‘You’re going to be so dehydrated in the morning.’ 

‘I think I’m already dehydrated.’ Ross replied and rolled onto one elbow, missing the first time and making Jim smile. ‘Do you think you could get me some water?’ 

‘Maybe I should just make you drink out the pool.’ Jim laughed. He put his hands in his pockets and gave Ross’ pout an indulgent smile. ‘I’ll go get you water. Would His Highness like sparkling or still?’

‘Cold.’ Ross replied, flopping over onto his back. He listened to Jim’s footsteps fade away as he went to the main house. He lay and smiled goofily at the ceiling. It had been such a wonderful night. He hadn’t ever had that much fun and the fact that it had been with Jim had just made it feel perfect. 

The air coming in from outside was cool and thick with salt and the smell of the flowers in the garden. There was surprisingly little sound considering they were in the middle of the city. Ross felt himself starting to drift off. He tried to keep himself awake, after all he had plans for the man coming back with his water, especially after seeing how well he danced which, quite frankly, had made Ross even more smitten than he already was. He made an abortive attempt to sit up and then settled for rolling to the edge of the bed. He managed to bend down without falling on the floor and undid his shoelaces before wrestling with them until they and his socks were off. By then, he was exhausted. 

‘Just five minutes.’ he said to himself, lying back down again.

Across the terrace, Jim punched in the alarm code and closed the kitchen door behind him. He juggled the water in one hand while he checked the lock was fast and then walked back to the pool house. He could hear the snoring before he even got inside.

‘Nice.’ he said staring down at the prone body sprawled on the bed. ‘You couldn’t even wait for me to get back.’ He chuckled and put the water down on the bedside table, then leaned down and brushed the curls off Ross’ face while he pondered what to do. It was too hot to sleep, and he was still hyped up from their evening. As much as he loved the family that had informally adopted him as one of their own, they were loud and flamboyant and they tired him out and revved him up at the same time. The little situation with Richie hadn’t helped matters and Jim decided that he was going to have a discreet word with John when he got back to the cay. 

But for now, what he needed was a swim.

*********

It was just starting to get light enough to see when Ross woke up. He reached out automatically, finding nothing but empty bed. Confused, he lay still and tried to get his bearings before realising he was still dressed and in the same position that he had been when he’d lain down after taking his shoes off. Then he heard the sound of water moving and realised that the pool house door was still open. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and then concentrated on the sound. Someone was in the pool, and Ross was pretty sure he knew who it was. He reached for his phone and checked the time then swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He stripped off his clothes, hesitating for a moment as he contemplated whether he should put something on. Eventually he grabbed Jim’s discarded towel from the wicker chair next to the bed and wrapped it around his waist and walked out. The night air was just cool enough to make him shiver as he walked to the side of the pool. The pool light was on and the whole thing glowed an otherworldly deep blue.

A movement caught his eye and he smiled as he tracked Jim swimming from one side of the pool to the other underwater. He moved effortlessly through it and Ross walked around to the side he was going to come up on. Jim surfaced, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes and looked up at him. It took him a moment to clock that Ross was in a towel and then he smiled. 

‘Hey beautiful boy.’ he said. ‘What are you doing up?’

‘Nothing.’ Ross said, kneeling down and swirling one hand in the water. ‘Why are you in the pool?’

‘Water baby. I kind of can’t stay out of it when it’s warm enough, and this is heated.’ Jim replied. He swam to the edge and half pulled himself up to give Ross a lightning quick wet kiss on the nose. ‘Do you want to swim with me?’ He pushed back from the edge and held out his hands. 

‘You do realise it’s four in the morning.’ Ross said. The suggestion gave him the most wonderful ideas though and he smiled as he dropped his towel, noting the widening of Jim’s eyes as he took in the sight before him. He got into the pool as gracefully as possible, which was to say not very. Thankfully the water was beautifully warm, almost like being in a lukewarm bath. He moved towards Jim, who got him around the waist, supporting Ross with his body. That was when Ross realised he wasn’t the only one with no clothes on.

‘Okay.’ he said, getting a delicious shiver from the contact of so much exposed skin. ‘I am a little surprised by the early morning skinny dipping thing you’ve got going on here.’

‘Wait till I get you to the cay.’ Jim said. ‘You’re going to be banned from wearing clothes.’ He kept them afloat with lazy kicks. ‘Just keep you naked and ready for me whenever I want you.’

‘And here I thought you loved me for my mind.’ Ross laughed. In the strange light it was like Jim’s eyes were almost neon blue. His gold eyelashes were stuck together with water, his pupils slowly dilating. Ross was hypnotised, and the way Jim blinked slowly at him lit up a deep seated heat in his chest that made him almost breathless. 

‘God, I love it when you look at me like that.’ he breathed and the corner of Jim’s mouth quirked, one dimple waking up. 

‘I love looking at you.’ he replied. ‘You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. There’s days when I can’t believe you’re mine.’ He wrapped one arm firmly around Ross and reached up with the other to push Ross’ wet hair out of his eyes. ‘Mi amor bello.’ He moved his hand to the back of Ross’ head, pulling him down to kiss him, both of them going underwater. Ross opened his mouth, the warmth of Jim’s stealing his breath. And still he stayed until he felt like his lungs would burst, reluctant to let Jim go until they came back up again. They drifted in the water, Ross’ arms around Jim’s shoulders. 

‘This is nice.’ he said, smiling. ‘I could get used to this.’

‘It’s all smoke and mirrors, baby.’ Jim replied. He leaned in and kissed him, his mouth warm and soft. ‘You’d get bored being a househusband.’ His hands ran down Ross’ sides and ended up on his backside. ‘But anytime you want to pretend we can come down here.’ 

‘I don’t know.’ Ross said. ‘I might get spoilt.’

‘Well, we couldn’t have that now could we?’ Jim’s smile was teasing. He pulled them both back down, submerging again.

They surfaced and their kisses got fierier, until they were both breathing quickly. Ross panted softly as Jim kissed his neck and shoulder, little bites making his nerves flare. 

‘God, I want you.’ he murmured against Ross’ skin. ‘Here, like this.’

‘Yes…’ Ross breathed back, the feeling of Jim’s skin against his making him lose all coherent thought. He let himself become weightless, legs around Jim’s hips, and Jim carried him to the side until his back bumped against the tile at the edge. He reached up, pushing Ross’ wet hair out of his face, kissing him slowly and thoroughly before making a trail down his neck to the crook of his shoulder, biting hard enough that Ross knew there would be a mark left behind. His left hand moved to rest at the side of Ross’ neck, the thumb of the right dragging over Ross’ left nipple as they kissed again. Ross moved to accommodate him, and Jim pinned him right against the side of the pool, the warm water making the slide of their bodies against each other frictionless. Ever touch was like it was electrified and Ross moaned into Jim’s mouth when their hard cocks came into alignment. He slid his hands down Jim’s back to his hips and pulled him in, thrusting up against him in an attempt to chase the delicious friction. Jim responded readily, thrusting back against him. He licked up the side of Ross’ neck, catching his earlobe between his teeth and sucking on it gently.

‘Get out.’ he said when they separated. ‘On the side.’

‘Just what do you have in mind?’ Ross could hardly speak he was so turned on. 

‘You’ll see.’ Jim put his hands on Ross’ waist and lifted him up enough for Ross to get his backside on the side of the pool, then moved in closer, hands on Ross’ thighs He sank down in the water and didn’t waste any time taking Ross deep and keeping him there as he moved his head. 

‘Oh, fuck…’ Ross couldn’t stop the outburst, his voice choked and thick. ‘Oh God, Jim…’ He leaned back, hands flat on the ground and watched as Jim looked up at him, his eyes shining in the reflected light of the pool. He pulled off slowly, letting Ross’ cock slide out his mouth in a way that made Ross’ blood catch fire. This was Jim like he’d never seen him before, and it was unbearably exciting. He watched Jim making a production of licking at the head of his cock. ‘I think I love this side of you.’

‘What side?’ Jim asked with a smile. He wrapped his fingers around Ross’ cock and stroked up and down with the same measured pace.

‘The side where you’re not thinking so much. Where you’re having fun and not being so serious.’ Ross replied. He breathed in deeply as Jim took him in again, his head falling back and his eyes closed as he lost himself to the feeling. Jim was moving his thumbs in slow circles on the inside of his thighs and Ross couldn’t help thrusting up a little into his mouth. ‘Fuck…’ It was on an exhale and Jim picked up his pace a little. His grip on Ross tightened and Ross took the cue and thrust up harder into his mouth. His eyes flew open as Jim sucked hard. ‘Bloody fucking hell…’ Jim started laughing and the vibrations tickled. He pulled off, pulling himself halfway out of the water and kissing Ross hard on the mouth. 

‘You’re going to fucking kill me.’ he laughed, his voice low. ‘Go sit on the fucking lounger.’

‘Are you serious?’ Ross looked over his shoulder. ‘We might break it.’

‘Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.’ Jim snickered. He hauled himself out next to Ross, and the sight of his hard cock momentarily distracted Ross enough that Jim had to give him a shove. He watched Jim walking across to the pool house and then got to his feet and went over to the steamer chair closest to the pool house, lying down on his back on the towel and looking up at the sky. It was a deep velvety blue, pinprick lights starting to fade as it edged to early morning. Out of the heated water it was chilly and goose bumps broke out over his skin. He looked across as the sound of Jim’s footsteps.

‘At least we’re doing it out of the pool.’ he said. ‘How do you want me?’ 

‘Just like that.’ Jim replied and chucked the lube onto Ross’ stomach, ignoring his look of confusion.

‘What are you…’ he started and then Jim threw one leg across the lounger and sat down right on top of him. ‘Jim?’

‘Time to get back on the horse.’ Jim grinned. He leaned forward and kissed Ross, pressing his mouth open and leaving Ross in no doubt as to what he meant as he explored every part of Ross’ mouth. When he moved back he kissed the tip of Ross’ nose. ‘Fuck me, baby.’ 

‘Holy shit.’ Ross blurted, feeling all his concentration dissipate. ‘Okay.’ He stared into Jim’s eyes, well aware that his breathing had picked up exponentially. Jim moved forward on his knees. 

‘Come on.’ he breathed into Ross’ mouth. ‘You haven’t forgotten how to do this have you?’ 

‘Fuck, I hope not.’ Ross replied, scrabbling for the lube. ‘Although you are making it very fucking hard to concentrate.’

‘Let’s hope I’m also making it very fucking hard.’ Jim said, his smile suggestive. ‘I want it to be so hard it hurts.’ 

‘Oh Jesus fucking Christ.’ That last little revelation caught Ross by surprise and he ended up with lube all over his hand and on his stomach. ‘Shit.’ 

‘Idiot.’ Jim’s voice was breathy. He took Ross hand and guided it down his back. ‘Come on beautiful boy, put them in me.’ He moaned as Ross ran his fingers down and then dipped the tip of one in. ‘Oh, fuck yeah. I always forget how fucking good that feels.’ He rocked back into Ross’ hand and Ross pushed all the way in, gasping at the tightness. 

‘How long exactly has it been?’ he asked.

‘Five years.’ Jim said and this time Ross was so surprised he dropped the lube and it bounced off the lounger and onto the ground. 

‘Five years?’ he said. ‘Jesus, way to lay the pressure on.’ 

‘Nonsense.’ Jim breathed. ‘It’s like riding a bike.’ He moved his legs up, feet coming to rest on Ross’ shins and locked eyes with him. ‘Although you can go harder. I’m not made of glass.’ Ross complied, watching over Jim’s shoulder as his finger drove in a little harder, a little faster, Jim’s moans picking up pace and volume. His other hand was on Jim’s thigh, little marks coming up where he was pressing hard enough to bruise. ‘Fuck, that’s good. Next one.’ Ross complied, easing it in and catching his own lip between his teeth when Jim whined, a noise that Ross had never heard him make before. 

‘You okay?’ he asked, his voice wavering a little.

‘So fucking okay.’ Jim’s head was down, his breathing harsh and getting louder. ‘Fuck…’ He was moving faster, pushing back into Ross’ fingers. He moaned and looked up at Ross. ‘Fucking do it, baby.’ Ross’ breathing caught and he pulled his fingers out. His hand was still covered in lube and he used it on himself, trying not to get pushed past the point of no return by the feel of his own hand. He hadn’t thought the idea of fucking Jim would get him as hot as it was and he had to grab the back of the lounger when Jim reached for him, moving so he was positioned, and then sank down. His body resisted for a moment and then opened up and Ross started to slide inside him.

‘Jesus…’ he managed to grit out. ‘You’re so fucking tight.’ He bit his lip as Jim shifted and arched his back, sinking down until Ross was all the way in.

‘Like I said, it’s been a while.’ he panted. ‘Fuck….’ His breathing sounded pained and Ross winced as he shifted and made Jim cry out a little.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked and Jim nodded, both hands flat on Ross’ chest to brace himself.

‘Still okay, baby.’ he said, and took a few deep breaths. ‘Just got to get used to you.’ He looked up and his pupils were blown wide. ‘Damn, Ross. If I had known you’d feel this good I would have made you fuck me ages ago.’ He pushed himself up and down tentatively. ‘You good down there?’

‘Fuck, yes.’ Ross gritted out. In truth the intensity was pushing him over the edge already, but he was reining himself in tightly. ‘Move.’ He couldn’t catch the cry that escaped him when Jim rocked back and forward once, planting his knees either side of Ross on the lounger. He put both hands on Ross’ shoulders for leverage and then he began to move. 

Ross moved his other hand above his head as well, gripping so tightly onto the lounger his knuckles ached. He was trying to stay as composed as possible so that there was some element of control, but then Jim whimpered and it went right through him until he was consumed with an overwhelming urge to possess, to drown out everything else that Jim could see or hear or feel and just leave himself imprinted all over Jim’s body and mind and soul. It was utterly primal and Ross knew he’d never felt anything like it in his entire life. He couldn’t stop himself, his hands coming from behind his head to Jim’s hips, digging his fingers in and the thrusting up hard. 

‘Oh God…’ Jim’s voice cracked as he fell forward. His eyes were closed and his breathing was harsh. He pushed back up, rocking down onto Ross. ‘Do that again.’ Ross got his feet flat and then started to push up, driving in without any thought for either of them. Jim’s cries got louder with each thrust, and he straightened up, one hand still on Ross’ shoulder and the other going back to balance himself on Ross’ thigh. Then he started to buck, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. It was the most out of control Ross had ever seen him and he watched entranced. 

‘Jesus…’ he breathed. ‘Yes…’ The wonderful falling sensation he got whenever he and Jim fucked was back, only this time it felt not so much like falling as taking a running jump over the edge. ‘Come on, babe…’ Jim locked eyes with him, moth open as he panted hard. Ross started to move one hand to him, but Jim pushed it away. 

‘No.’ he said. ‘I’m good. Just…’ he sat back further and then he threw his head back, crying out as he came over Ross’ stomach and chest. It was so sudden, Ross barely had a chance to realise what had happened. He felt like he should slow down, but then Jim shifted position and started to move again, grinding down hard as he rode out his orgasm and making Ross’ own voice fail as the sensation dragged him down and down into those wonderful murky depths that Jim always took him to. It didn’t take long, the convulsive clenching of Jim’s body and the reckless way he was riding Ross driving him to the edge and over. He wanted to scream at the pleasure that coursed through him, but Jim put one hand over his mouth, the other at the back of Ross’ neck to quiet him. Ross retaliated by biting him as he came hard enough to almost throw Jim off of him. 

‘Fuck!’ Jim snatched his hand away and Ross surged forward, burying his face in Jim’s neck as he howled into his skin. He held on tightly until, he came down. The he started to laugh, and felt Jim whack him on the shoulder. ‘Dickhead! That fucking hurt!’

‘I’m sorry babe.’ he said into Jim’s neck, trying to sound contrite and not feeling it at all. He pulled back and took the injured hand, kissing over where he’d clamped his teeth down. Jim watched him, damp hair a mess and his eyes all but glowing.

‘It’s a good thing I love you, Ross Poldark.’ he said. ‘Otherwise I’d shoot your cannibal arse and dump you in the bay.’ It took a moment for Ross’ blissed out brain to catch up.

‘Hang on, what did you say?’ he asked, not quite sure he had heard correctly. Jim smiled and it was dimpled and happy. 

‘I love you.’ he said, his voice low and soft. Ross stared at him, not quite sure he wasn’t dreaming.

‘Again.’ he breathed. Jim chuckled. 

‘I love you.’ he repeated, then made a noise of surprise as Ross grabbed him and kissed him.

‘I love you too.’ he said and Jim nudged his nose with his own.

‘Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, can I get off you because my knees are fucking killing me.’ Ross shook his head.

‘No.’ he said, pulling Jim down against him. ‘Too late. You’ve said it now and you can never take it back.’ Jim sighed in resignation and kissed him.

‘I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.’ he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song they dance to is Quizas Quizas Quizas by Pink Martini.


	4. Downtown and Uptown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Jim go their separate ways for the day.

Ross stirred at the sound of someone padding around the room and rolled onto his side. He opened his eyes just enough to see Jim standing at the pool house door looking out and putting on his watch. He was already dressed in jeans and a grey crew necked t-shirt, blond hair still damp from the shower. He smiled at Ross.

‘I have to go out.’ he said. ‘I should be back by lunchtime. Then I can show you around a bit. We only need to sail out tomorrow so we can be tourists for this afternoon.’ He reached for the shoulder rig lying on the chair and Ross watched him put it on then pick up his belt and thread it through the first loop before securing the holster. He rolled his shoulders once to settle the position and then reached for the gun lying on his bedside table and put it in.

‘You didn’t bring that with you.’ Ross said, rubbing his eyes. ‘How many do you have?’

‘A few. I keep this one here.’ Jim said. ‘Not all of them are strictly legal.’

‘Is that one?’ Ross asked, sitting up.

‘No.’ Jim replied. ‘This one is off the books. The last thing I need is to shoot someone and have it come back to me.’ He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ross, stroking his curls out of his eyes.

‘Then why own one at all.’ Ross said. He leaned in, inhaling the smell of Jim’s aftershave. This one was light and citrusy today, like crushed lemon leaves and green grass.

‘Ever heard of hiding in plain sight?’ Jim asked, smiling at him. He kissed Ross’ forehead. ‘You better brace yourself. Carmen is probably already up and plotting your course for today. She’s very excited about getting to know you.’

‘I feel like I’m going to be at a distinct disadvantage.’ Ross grumbled. ‘You could have warned me.’

‘Now where’s the fun in that?’ Jim said and kissed him, one long slow kiss that made Ross’ pulse speed up. After the previous night, he was feeling very happy and more than a little keen to repeat what had happened.

‘Say it.’ he breathed and Jim’s dimples flickered.

‘I love you.’ he replied, equally soft. The last kiss was to the tip of Ross’ nose. ‘Have fun, baby. And for fuck’s sake, try not to wear the credit card out too much.’

‘That I am not promising.’ Ross lay back on the pillow and Jim gave him an amused look. He stood up and picked up his wallet and keys from the bedside table and walked to the door.

‘You’re not planning on saying it back then?’ he asked, his eyes twinkling.

‘Annoying as fuck isn’t it?’ Ross retorted and turned back onto his stomach. He heard Jim chuckling as he walked out the pool house.

**********

Jim got to the main house, walking into the sun room. Breakfast was already set up and he went over to the console table at the back of the room and got himself a bowl of fruit before joining Diego, who was halfway through his tostada and café con leche. He briefly looked at Jim over his newspaper. Estefania was in the kitchen pottering around.

‘It’s nice having you home, Jaime.’ he said. ‘Reminds me of old times.’ Jim smiled and took the cup of warmed milk that Estefania had poured him. She went back to counter before returning and then put down the tiny jug of Cuban espresso that went with it. She sat down opposite him with her own breakfast which consisted of half a pomelo sprinkled with sugar. Her café was already on the table and her actions mirrored Jim’s as they added the coffee and then sugar.

‘Don’t get used to it.’ Jim said. ‘Miami is too fucking hot.’ Estefania and Diego exchanged smiles.

‘Ross seems to like it.’ Estefania said, her tone deceptively casual. ‘Maybe you could get an apartment here, just for holidays.’ Jim gave her a look that said he knew exactly what she was doing but she simply smiled back at him, her dark eyes innocent.

‘You are not going to use my boyfriend to get me to move back to Miami.’ he said. ‘Not a chance.’ He watched in amazement as they gave each other misty smiles.

‘He said boyfriend.’ Estefania was practically simpering. ‘Our Jaime has a boyfriend.’

‘Christ.’ Jim said. ‘I can practically hear the wedding announcement you’re making in your head.’

‘A mother is allowed to dream.’ Estefania retorted. ‘And you can’t blame me for getting excited. Richie is a fucking lost cause but you, you’re someone who would actually do it.’

‘What, get married?’ Jim raised his eyebrows at her. ‘Ross and I have only been together for six months, _Mami_. It’s a little early to be sending out save the date cards.’

‘He lives with you. You brought him to meet us. By your standards you’re practically engaged.’ Estefania said. ‘Back me up here, Carmenita.’ This was to Carmen who’d come into the kitchen in a pink and white sundress.

‘She’s right.’ she said, coming across to Jim and draping herself over him. She kissed him on the cheek. ‘You love him. We can all see it.’

‘This child is far too nosy for her own good.’ Jim said to Estefania. ‘I blame you mostly. You know how much information she dragged out of me last week. All this cute little girl shit and bleating _mi hermano_ at me every five minutes.’ He made absolutely no attempt to push Carmen away, however, even when she hugged him so hard he nearly went cross-eyed.

‘You love him.’ she hissed in his ear and Jim allowed himself a small smile.

‘I might.’ he conceded and Carmen laughed. She let him go then leaned over his shoulder an stole a piece of mango from his bowl, licking the juice off her fingers.

‘Is he awake yet?’ she asked.

‘I’m not sure Ross is ever actually awake.’ Jim replied. ‘Why don’t you go jump on him and find out.’

‘I will. And then I going to take him shopping with me.’ Carmen said. ‘I’m meeting Andrea and Claudia and we’re going to take him to Miracle Mile with us.’

‘Jesus Christ.’ Jim shook his head. ‘Please just make sure there’s enough left of him to bring back, okay?’ Carmen giggled and stole another piece of mango.

‘Maybe.’ she said and skipped off out the sun room door and in the direction of the pool house.

‘She’s like a weapon of mass destruction.’ Diego was grinning. ‘She destroys everything in her path. She makes us very proud.’

‘I’ll bet.’ Jim said. He finished his coffee and stood up when Diego did before coming around the side of the table to lean down and kiss Estefania. She responded in kind, wiping away the lipstick mark she’d left with her thumb. When she was done she clasped his face in her hands.

‘ _Mi nińo_.’ she said and he smiled at her. ‘It is so nice to see you so happy.’

‘Thank you.’ he replied.

‘Enough.’ Diego’s tone was indulgent. ‘We have to go.’ He picked up his jacket and put it on. Estefania let Jim go and he followed Diego out the room.

*********

Ross had almost gone back to sleep when he heard the sound of someone incoming.

‘Ross!’ the word was hissed through the open door. ‘Are you awake?’

‘I am now.’ he replied and peered up at Carmen as she came in the door. ‘Jim warned me you’d be on your way.’ He moved onto one elbow. ‘You look pretty.’

‘Thank you. Now, you have to get up.’ she said, parking herself on the bed. ‘I have big plans for us today.’

‘Really?’ Ross huffed a laugh as he moved over to give her space. ‘Do they involve sitting here and watching me get dressed.’

‘Please.’ Carmen snickered. ‘Do you have any idea how many times I’ve seen Shandra’s cock? I think I’m actually immune.’

‘Fair enough.’ Ross said. ‘But I’m not. Eyes closed.’

‘But then I can’t make a fair judgement.’ Carmen protested but she did close her eyes long enough for him to grab his discarded boxers and put them on. He shuffled to his bag and dug out some clothes.

‘You’re very hairy.’ Carmen observed and Ross grinned at her over his shoulder.

‘And?’ he asked.

‘It’s just weird. All the guys in Miami totally wax everything. Even if they’re straight.’ she said. ‘It’s kinda gross.’ Her face grew thoughtful. ‘You look nice though. You have an amazing body. I can totally see why Jim’s so into you.’

‘Oh my God.’ Ross stopped what he was doing and looked at her. ‘How old are you again?’

‘Seventeen.’ Carmen grinned. ‘Which is more than old enough in this city, believe me.’

‘Yeah, well it’s a bit strange for me.’ Ross said. He held up two t-shirts for approval and Carmen pointed to the grey one he was holding.

‘Do you have any sisters?’ she asked and he shook his head.

‘No, I’m an only child.’ he replied. ‘I do have a cousin though who’s really sweet. Her name’s Verity.’

‘That’s a weird name.’ Carmen drew her knees up and inspected her toenails which were painted with gold glitter polish. ‘Are you close?’

‘Reasonably.’ Ross took the clothes he’d selected and padded into the bathroom. He left the door ajar and turned on the shower. ‘We were when we were younger but we kind of only really speak on things like birthdays and Christmases now. He went to the doorway and stuck his head out. ‘This has been a bit of a shock for me, I have to tell you. I didn’t even know about you until like three days before we left.’

‘Jim doesn’t talk about his family very much.’ Carmen replied. ‘But then, why would he?’ She shrugged. ‘I know what my father and brother do for a living. I’m not stupid and I know the risks we live with. I also know that Jim wouldn’t be with you unless you understood him.’ Her face was suddenly serious. ‘Jim’s not like other people, even us. He’s…different.’ Her dark eyes were watching Ross closely. ‘He’s kind of broken on the inside.’ Ross knew that this was a test.

‘I know.’ he replied. ‘So am I.’ Then he closed the door and went to go shower.

*********

‘How much does he know?’ Diego asked. Jim turned and looked at him. They were driving across the causeway to the city.

‘Enough for now.’ he replied. ‘He knows what I did and where I come from. He knows about how I used to earn a living.’ He hesitated. ‘He knows me, Diego. All the stuff that is important.’

‘And him?’ Diego’s voice was deceptively casual.

‘What do you want to know?’ Jim asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. ‘Are you asking if he’s okay with this? I wouldn’t have brought him here if he wasn’t.’

‘That’s not what I’m asking, Jaime.’ Diego said, his voice serious. ‘Is he like you?’ Jim sighed and looked out the window. This was as close as Diego would ever get to asking about him. He had never voiced what he must have known out loud.

‘Yes.’ he replied eventually. ‘He is.’

‘Fuck.’ Diego said. ‘Is that even healthy?’

‘Probably not.’ Jim said. ‘But we fit. And I have someone now who kind of completes me, if that makes any sense.’ He looked at the man who was like a second father to him, who had taught him to speak Spanish, how to drink rum and the best way to pull out a man’s fingernails to inflict as much pain as possible. ‘Ross is the closest thing to perfect that I’ve ever found. And he loves me, whatever the fuck I may be.’

‘I can see that.’ Diego said. ‘And I can see that you love him too. And if he makes you happy, then that makes me happy.’ He sighed. ‘Did I ever tell you about the time we were running from from the Antilles to Tortuga?’

No.’ Jim said, frowning.

‘It was before Steffi and I got married.’ Diego said. ‘Your father asked us to go with him. It was supposed to just be a little trip, some fun so they could meet and I could lord it over him and show off this wonderful woman I was engaged to.’ He turned the car off the causeway and headed downtown. ‘We were moored off this little bay off Nicaragua and some bastards decided that we looked like easy pickings. They came aboard in the middle of the night and surprised us. There were five of them. Your papi and I took care of all but one, and we heard him downstairs. I was like a man possessed thinking about what he would do to her, so I charged down there and as I open the door, I see her standing over this guy. He’s got a head wound out to here and bleeding all over the fucking place. And Estefania’s standing there with this fucking .357, pointing it right at the _cabron’s_ face. She looks at me, and then calm as anything she pulls the trigger and pretty much blows the guy’s head off.’

‘Fuck.’ Jim said, completely taken aback. ‘You never told me that.’

‘She doesn’t like to talk about it and I keep her secrets.’ Diego said. ‘But that night, I knew I had found someone who I didn’t need to hide from. Someone that would love me whatever I did. Someone that would do what it takes.’ He gave Jim a sidelong smile. ‘I think that is what Ross is for you.’

‘I think you’re right.’ Jim replied.

**********

Ross was finally dressed and had eaten breakfast with Carmen, listening to her talk a mile a minute. Estefania was still sitting with them, smiling at them both.

‘So where are you taking him?’ she asked and Carmen looked up from her phone.

‘Miracle Mile, and then we’re dragging him with us for lunch.’ she said. 'The other two are dying to see him.’ She gave Ross a conspiratorial grin. ‘I told them how hot you are and they’re actually sick they’re so jealous.’

‘Really?’ Ross looked at Estefania who nodded.

‘Apparently gay brothers-in-law are very in this year.’ She laughed then got up. ‘I’m going into town to do a couple of things. You want me to drop you?’

‘No thank you.’ Carmen said. ‘I’ll drive us.’

‘That is something I’ll never get used to.’ Ross laughed. ‘You can drive but you can’t drink for another four years.’

‘I don’t really drink.’ Carmen said. ‘And I don’t go in for anything else either.’

‘My sensible baby.’ Estefania said dropping a kiss on Carmen’s head first and then one on Ross’. ‘You two have fun. You’ll be back for dinner?’

‘We will.’ Carmen replied. Estefania smiled at both of them and waved over her shoulder as she left.

********

Diego pulled into the parking lot of a nondescript office building in Medley. It was one of four built on the plot, functional squat concrete structures that were much like all the others that surrounded them. He parked in the visitors’ area and he and Jim got out and walked across. Jim was already irritable. He hated the heat, even as mild as it was in December, and wished he could dispense with the charcoal blazer he was wearing over his t-shirt to conceal the weapon he carried.  
They got to the front door and Diego pressed the bell for an office on the third floor. He was buzzed in and the blissful cool of air conditioning hit them in the face as they entered. Jim lead the way, having made this trip so many times before that it was automatic even though he’d not been back to Miami for almost a year. They bypassed the elevator, heading straight to the fire escape and climbing the six flights of stairs until they got to the third floor. They came out the fire door into a long corridor lined with offices and it was filled with the particular brand of quiet reserved for office blocks. There was the distant ring of phones and murmur of voices as they passed, heading down to the corridor to the office at the end. The frosted glass door bore the legend GB Accounting, and there was a CCTV camera posted in the corner and aimed at anyone who approached. Other than that particular feature, it looked like any other office. Business records would show that it was a small independently run accounting firm with two senior partners and twelve staff. They paid their taxes and all their company records were above disrepute. Their speciality was small company tax and returns and they made a decent profit. Diego actually employed them legitimately to the accounts for his import and export business, while also making use of their more unorthodox services. The particular one they were employing now was the conversion of the profits of their less than legal activities into a currency that could be used in any part of the world and which was highly portable.

Diego rang the second bell at the door and it clicked open softly after a few seconds. Jim followed him inside, their footfalls making no sound on the plush carpet. The front reception was dominated by a carved wooden desk manned by a bored looking Latina in bright coral spike heels which were tapping out a tattoo under the desk. She gave them a smile and waved them through. Jim took the lead, going to the third door down and knocking once. A call to enter came and he turned the handle and went inside.

It was like a tropical forest in this particular office. Potted plants covered almost every surface and there was a massive salt water fish tank against the right wall. Behind a huge mahogany desk sat a most extraordinary looking woman, as exotic and beautiful as the flowers that surrounded her. She was at least two hundred and fifty pounds, and her bulk was concealed under a voluminous kaftan in orange, emerald and turquoise Pucci print. Her hair was raven black and piled on top of her head and her green eyes were winged with black liner.

‘Hello boys.’ she said, her voice low and smoky. She heaved herself out of her chair and came over to wrap both arms around Diego and Jim in turn. When she let him go, she gave Jim a none too gentle smack on the cheek. ‘You bad boy. How fucking long has it been since you’ve come to see me?’ Jim winced and nodded.

‘I know.’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, Maxine. New York keeps me busy.’

‘That’s not at keeps you busy from what I hear.’ Maxine replied. She held out one meaty hand. ‘Give.’ Jim grinned and shoved both hands in his pockets.

‘Who says I bought you anything?’ he said, but eventually he stuck one hand inside his blazer and retrieved a distinctive duck egg blue box and gave it to her. Maxine gave him a smug smile and went back to lower herself into her chair. She opened the box, cooing over the chunky silver bracelet inside and making a show of getting Jim to fasten it around her wrist. Then she waved him off and he went back around to sit in one of the chairs on the other side.

‘So pretty.’ Maxine said, still admiring her present. ‘I suppose you’re forgiven.’

‘Now that I’ve paid suitable homage, can you tell me what my father wants me to bring back?’ he asked.

‘He definitely gets his charm from John.’ Maxine said to Diego with a smile. ‘Blunt as a rusty saw.’

‘Yes, but he gets his taste in gifts from me.’ Diego smiled. Jim looked from one to the other.

‘I love how everyone just ignores the fact that I’m actually not related to either of you in any way biologically.’ he said.

‘Definitely gets that from John.’ Diego said. ‘Ignore him. He’s just overheated.’

‘Fucking Miami.’ Jim grumbled. ‘You know that John actually blackmailed me into coming down for Christmas.’

‘A good thing too.’ Maxine said. ‘Otherwise we’d never get to see you.’ She picked up her phone. ‘What do you boys want for lunch? We’ll go eat in the conference room.’ She cackled at Jim’s pained look. ‘You didn’t think you were going to just waltz in and waltz out did you?’

‘I bought you a goddam peace offering, Max.’ Jim protested. ‘I have a boyfriend who’s currently at the mercy of my baby sister who I need to go rescue.’

‘Yes, that.’ Maxine said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. ‘Why exactly am I the last to find out about this boyfriend, hmm?’

‘Shit.’ Diego laughed at Jim. ‘Now you’ve really done it.’

********

Ross was sitting at an outside table of My Ceviche surrounded by three giggling teenage girls. Much to his surprise, he was having some of the best fun he’d had in ages. They had dragged him from pillar to post and he was shattered from laughing at their outrageous tales of teenage life in Miami and a not inconsiderable dose of school gossip. Then they had taken him to where they were currently sitting and stuffed him full of fish tacos while they all ate salads and then made him get a portion of key lime pie which they’d mostly stolen.

Ross was now feeling just as close to perfect as he could get. He was still riding a high from the night before and he’d also spent the morning searching for Jim’s Christmas present before passing a shop called No Boundaries. It had had an impressive display of sporting gear in the window and he’d gone in to have a look. To his delight, he’d found the perfect thing, which was now sitting in a bag on the table in front of him, along with a pair of aqua reflective Wayfarers that Carmen had insisted on buying him as his Christmas present and a pile of kikois that he’d found in a beach shop. He loved wearing Jim’s when he was at home, although Jim ranted at him for spilling coffee on them. Aside from that, he hadn’t bought anything, most of the things on offer too loud for his Parisian tastes. He inhaled deeply on his cigarette and listened to the girls chatter on about a party they were going to in a week’s time. His mobile buzzed and Ross picked it up and checked the message that had just come through.

_Hope you’ve had lunch._

Ross smiled and tapped out a reply.

_God, yes. I think they think that you don’t feed me so they decided to. Food here is amazing. I think you may need to reconsider moving._

The reply was to the point.

_Not on your fucking life._

Ross laughed and replied.

_Why do you ask?_

_Having lunch with Maxine who seems to be of the same opinion Carmen and co are. We’ll probably leave here in about an hour or so. Want me to come rescue you when I’m done?_

‘Is that Jaime?’ Carmen asked before grabbing Ross’ phone and sending a message. She handed it back smiling smugly. ‘I told him to come meet us for frozen yogurt and then we are going to take you to Little Havana.’

‘Really?’ Ross let his head fall back. ‘But I need to sleep this off for like a hundred years.’

‘You can walk it off instead.’ Carmen said primly. She got up and kicked his foot in a way that was distinctly Jim-like and Ross found himself wondering if that was who she’d gotten it from. ‘Come on, _huevón_. There’s still lots to show you.’

*********

Jim smiled at the message which had come from Carmen and put his phone in his pocket. The conference table was littered with take away containers which had held a traditional Cuban lunch of empanadas, black bean soup and Cuban sandwiches. Maxine did not stint on catering.

‘I have to go.’ he said to them. ‘Carmen has summoned me.’ Diego laughed.

‘That girl has every man in our family enchanted.’ he said. ‘I think Ross is probably not going to be an exception.’ He looked at Jim. ‘Go on then. If you don’t, she’ll only make my life hell for detaining you. I’m going to stay and talk some business for a while and see you back at the house. Estefania’s making mojo pork tonight. Kind of a Christmas send off.’ Jim shrugged into his blazer, made slightly heavier by the addition of around half a million dollars’ worth of uncut diamonds in the inside pocket.

‘In that case I’ll warn Ross.’ he said and went to go kiss Maxine on the cheek. ‘You need to come visit me in summer.’

‘If only so I can get a look at this _chico_ you’ve gotten yourself hitched to.’ she cackled. Jim turned and glared at Diego.

‘We’re not hitched.’ he retorted. ‘We are living together, that’s it.’

‘Give it time.’ Diego said sagely. ‘Why don’t you come round tonight, Max. Bring Javier with you.’

‘I think that’s a fabulous idea.’ she said. ‘Thank you, I will.’ She dismissed Jim with a wave of her hand. ‘You can go.’

Jim sighed and gave them a wave as he left. In the lobby downstairs, he called a cab and waited for it to arrive, then directed it to downtown. He was meeting Carmen and Ross at one of the valet parking stations and he looked for them as the cab approached. He paid the driver and got out, then heard the unmistakable sound of Carmen screeching at high volume as she headed straight for him. He barely caught her as she got to him and flung herself at him.

‘You’re too big to do this anymore.’ he said as she giggled and hung on his arm.

‘I’m never going to be too big.’ she said. Jim looked over her shoulder at Ross, who had walked up.

‘Hey, baby.’ he said, smiling at him. ‘I’m amazed you’re still standing.’

‘I won’t be for long.’ Ross said. ‘She says we’re going to Little Havana.’

‘Not today, Carmenita.’ Jim said. ‘We need to pack and I have some calls to make. And I’m fucking knackered after last night.’ He gave Ross a fleeting look and Ross felt his stomach lurch deliciously. ‘All I plan on doing today is that and hanging out at the pool.’ Carmen gave a very overdramatic sigh.

‘Fine.’ she said. ‘But then you have to promise to give me my Christmas present today.’

‘Fucking mercenary.’ Jim laughed, putting his arm around her. He gave the bags in Ross’s hand a surprised look. ‘Is that all you bought?’

‘Nobody wears fucking black in this place.’ Ross replied.

*********

Carmen drove them back to South Beach and they got out when she stopped outside the house and went through the garden to the pool house.

‘Finally.’ Jim said, discarding his blazer as soon as they were in. ‘It’s so fucking hot out there.’

‘I think it’s lovely.’ Ross said. He kicked off his Converse and pulled his shirt over his head. ‘Considering that in New York we’d be up to our eyebrows in minus temperatures and fucking snow.’

‘All much better than sweating my arse off.’ Jim said. He grinned and went over to Ross, tugging on a strand of curly hair. ‘And if you look like a poodle now, just think what you’d be like in summer.’ Ross matched his smile and got him by the hips, pulling him in and kissing him.

‘This heat makes me perpetually horny though.’ he said. ‘Think of the possibilities of that.’ He ducked his head and nosed Jim’s neck. ‘And you walking around carrying guns and speaking Spanish is not fucking helping.’ He moved his hands to the belt of Jim’s jeans. ‘And this Miami Vice thing you’ve got going on is making my cock hard just from looking at you.’ He undid Jim’s belt and dipped his fingers inside the waistband of Jim’s boxers, hair grazing his fingertips. ‘Could we?’

‘It’s the middle of the afternoon.’ Jim protested, but his pupils were already widening, and his voice was pitched low. ‘Everyone’s awake.’ He shivered as Ross started to kiss his neck.

‘I know.’ Ross murmured into his skin. ‘You’ll have to make me keep quiet.’ He kissed his way to Jim’s mouth, licking in and tasting the need that was flooding Jim’s body.

‘Close the door.’ Jim said as they parted and Ross did as he asked, sliding it closed and throwing the lock, then pulling the heavy calico curtain across. In the bright afternoon, there was plenty of light to see by but now it was dimmed and hazy. He turned and stripped off the rest of his clothes, taking his time. Jim was doing the same and by the time he was done, they were both hard. Ross sauntered over to him and Jim ran his hands down Ross’ sides, then lifted one and tangled it in Ross’ hair, pulling him down to meet him. This kiss was messy and slow and Ross felt his heart rate pick up in time with their moans. Eventually Jim pushed him away and then put both hands on Ross’ chest and shoved him back onto the bed.He stood over him and looked down. Ross looked back, feeling the tension ratcheting up between them. He shifted, getting comfortable and Jim went to the bedside table on the opposite side and got the lube. He threw it onto the bed next to Ross and then went back so he was at the foot of the bed.

‘Turn over.’ he ordered and Ross did, leaning on his elbows. He felt Jim run both hands up the backs of his legs, from his ankles to his thighs, getting on so he was kneeling between them. Ross lay still, his breathing quickening as Jim leaned forward, hands either side of Ross and his breath on the back of Ross’ neck.

‘You do smell amazing.’ he said. ‘All earthy and salty.’ He leaned in and licked up the length of Ross’ spine, making Ross shudder. ‘And your skin tastes incredible.’ He licked again, tongue dragging languidly.

‘Fuck.’ Ross muttered into the pillow he’d grabbed and was currently stuffing his face into. ‘Keeping quiet is maybe going to be very fucking difficult.’

‘How about this then.’ Jim said between licks. ‘If you can keep quiet, when we get to the cay I will fuck you whenever you ask.’ That made Ross lift his head.

‘Whenever I ask?’ he repeated and Jim hummed assent into his back.

‘Whenever you ask.’ he said. ‘However you want. Every dirty thought, every fantasy you’ve ever had about us, we can do it.’

‘I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.’ Ross panted. He was so hard now he couldn’t resist thrusting down into the bed. ‘I can think of some really awful things I want you to do to me.’

‘Only if you can keep quiet.’ Jim’s breath was drifting lower. ‘That’s the catch.’ He ran one hand down Ross’ back and then leaned in, hands on Ross’ backside as he licked over his entrance in one long swipe. It was like an electric shock going through him, and Ross had to bite the pillow to stop from yelping. Being eaten out by Jim was one of his favourite things and something that Jim excelled at, but it was going to be a colossal effort to keep his mouth shut.

Jim snickered and then started licking softly, little teasing flicks of tongue that drove Ross crazy. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut then reached back with one hand, resting it on Jim’s head.

‘Can I talk?’ he asked.

‘No.’ Jim replied and pulled Ross open so he could move the tip of his tongue in maddeningly slow circles. Ross whined into the pillow. He wanted to scream and he knew that Jim could tell how much it was killing him not to. He shoved his knuckles in his mouth and bit down. Behind him Jim lapped at him placidly, seemingly not paying any attention to his torment. He pulled back and Ross felt the chill of Jim’s breath on his saliva wet skin and shivered. Jim rested his chin on Ross’ backside, his forefinger stroking over him softly. ‘You know what, I quite like this idea.’ He licked the end and pressed it in, watching Ross’ body take him. Ross could hear the smile in his voice and mentally called him every name he could think of. ‘You can’t say a thing. But I can.’ The finger twisted and sank deeper and Ross arched back into it. ‘This is going to be fun.’

Ross was shaking now, every muscle stretched taught as he felt Jim start to lick around his finger. The noises he was making were thankfully being muffled, that was until Jim eased his finger out and momentarily moved up. Then Ross heard the sound of the lube cap and then felt Jim pouring it directly onto him, discarding the tube and rubbing it in slowly until the finger slid back inside. Jim worked it in and out steadily, brushing against Ross prostate. He leaned in and kissed Ross at the small of his back.

‘You should see this.’ he said and Ross braced himself for what was coming. ‘You just lying here letting me fuck you with my fingers, not making a single noise.’ He pulled out and then slid three in. ‘I love watching you stretch around me. Do you like that baby? You like how it feels?’ He took them out again and then there was more lube, poured directly into him this time. ‘I like getting you wet, fucking you with my fingers. And you can’t say a damn thing.’ They moved faster and Ross’ toes curled involuntarily. ‘Give me your hand.’

Ross reached back again and felt Jim guide his own fingers down until he could feel the way Jim’s fingers were moving in and out of him. It was tight and he hissed at the burn and stretch, but it also felt so incredible that he didn’t dare stop.

‘That’s it.’ Jim’s voice was soothing. ‘Open up for me.’ He sounded breathless and that gave Ross some consolation. ‘Oh fuck, baby. You look so fucking good. Maybe I won’t fuck you. Maybe I’ll just jerk off onto our fingers while we fuck your arse with them. Make you put my cum inside you.’ He bit down on Ross’ backside and Ross whimpered. He was quickly getting desperate and squirmed under Jim’s hand.

‘Please…’ it slipped out before Ross even knew what he’d done. That got him a smack on the backside from Jim’s free hand. The fingers inside him sped up, hitting his prostate mercilessly and Ross bit down so hard that he knew he’d have bruises. Then just as quickly they were gone and Ross found himself being manhandled onto his back before Jim fell down on top of him. Ross had enough time to be surprised by his completely undone state but then Jim shoved his tongue in his mouth and Ross’s mind went blank. He could feel that Jim was covered in sweat, their skin sliding as they made contact and it was enough for him to start whimpering in earnest, trying so hard to keep the noises in.

Jim’s mouth was at his neck, teeth scraping over his skin and his hands were on Ross’ hips, fingers digging in. Ross stared at the ceiling, fire surging through him at each touch, each flick of Jim’s tongue on his skin. He spread his legs wider, their cocks aligning and the friction brought pleasure in a great wave that washed over Ross until he could hardly breathe. He reached down, hands on Jim’s arse to pull him in against him, then hiked his legs up. Jim licked along his collar bone and shifted, his arms coming up to bracket Ross’ head as he got to his knees long enough for Ross to reach in and grasp Jim’s cock and guide it inside him. Jim locked eyes with him thrusting in so slowly it was like torture and Ross swore that he could feel every inch penetrating him. He loved this so much, loved it when they got to the point that were no words, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away, lost in the blue-green depths.

They stayed like for a moment, gazes holding and their breathing falling into synch. Ross reached up with one hand, dragging his thumb along Jim’s hairline to wipe the sweat that had gathered there. It was also running down his nose and Ross leaned up just enough to lick off the droplet gathered at the tip. Jim smiled at him, dimples deep, and kissed him softly, resting his forehead against ross’ when they parted.

‘I love you.’ he breathed. ‘I am so in love with you I don’t know which way is up anymore.’ Ross felt like he was melting from the inside out and kissed him, tightening his legs around Jim’s hips. Jim pulled back from him and then buried his face in Ross’ neck, his hips moving slowly and steadily. Ross wrapped both arms around him, his mouth at Jim’s ear.

‘Fuck me, Jim.’ he whispered. ‘Fuck me so hard I lose myself in you.’ He felt Jim’s breathing hitch and then he started to drive faster. Ross held on, the sweat and pre-come between their bodies giving him just the right kind of friction. He bit down on Jim’s shoulder and moved with him, their rhythms matching perfectly. Jim was panting hard in his ear and Ross dragged his nails down his sweat slick back. Jim moaned loudly and Ross felt it go right through him. His own voice was gone, he couldn’t have screamed even if he wanted to. All he could do was breathe like he was dying, little choked off gasps at each thrust inside him. He could feel his orgasm coming on, the twisting heat inside him almost too much to take.

‘Fuck…’ Jim’s voice was broken. ‘Ross…’ He lifted up and their mouths met, a furious dance of teeth and tongues until Ross couldn’t hold on anymore. He came hard, the white lights going off behind his eyes and crying out once into Jim’s mouth. Jim followed not a second later and Ross swallowed his mirroring cry. It shook them both and they held on to each other, still kissing until they could breathe again. Then Ross smiled against Jim’s mouth. Jim pulled away and looked at him quizzically. Ross couldn’t help feeling unrepentantly smug.

‘I think I win.’ he murmured and Jim huffed a laugh.

‘I should feel worse about losing but right now I don’t give a fuck.’ he said. Ross laughed.

‘You will be.’ he replied and licked at Jim’s mouth. ‘I’m going to fucking break you.’

‘We’ll see.’ Jim said. He was about to say something else when there was a sharp rap on the glass of the sliding door.

‘Hey.’ It was Richie’s voice and it was amused as hell. ‘When you two have finished fucking you can join us. I’m making mojitos.’ Jim shook his head.

‘Fuck off, Richie.’ he yelled.

‘Suit yourself, _cabron_.’ Richie laughed and they heard him walking away.

‘I swear to God, this family.’ Jim said. He eased himself up and out of Ross. ‘I suppose we better make ourselves presentable.’ He was about to get off Ross when Ross caught him by the back of the neck and pulled him back down into a kiss.

‘Not just yet.’ he breathed. ‘Stay with me a little while.’ Jim looked down into his deep hazel eyes and smiled.

‘Whatever you want, baby.’ he said. ‘Whatever you want.’


	5. History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last day with the Vasquez family.

_Eighteen Years Previously_

_John Silver looked across at the seat next to him. Jim’s legs were so short they barely came over the edge. He couldn’t see out the window sitting like that so he was now on his knees, elbows on the edge of the window frame and staring out into the endless blue of the Atlantic below. His face was frighteningly serious for a ten-year old and when he looked back at John with those oddly penetrating eyes, John felt a shiver of unease. Then he reminded himself that his godson was only ten. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t be able to handle him, it would just take some necessary precautions. That had been his parent’s mistake. They had believed that just because he was a child, he was harmless._

_John knew better._

_‘It’s so big.’ Jim said, his child’s voice thoughtful._

_‘When you’re older I’ll teach you how to sail it.’ John replied and Jim smiled at him, dimples in his cheeks._

_Yes, it was very hard to believe that such an innocent looking face could do anyone or anything harm._

_John knew better._

**********

‘What was he like as a child?’ Ross asked. He and Estefania were in the kitchen and he was helping her chop salad.

‘Frightening.’ Estefania said. ‘So intelligent, even for someone so young. He smiled, but it was like an adult’s smile.’ There was a funny little catch in her voice. ‘I fell in love with him the minute I saw him.’ She was busy prepping the plantain. ‘He was so different to Richie. Quiet and thoughtful and always had his nose in a book. I used to worry about him and John being out there by themselves, but they suited each other so well.’

‘He hasn’t told me anything about his childhood at all.’ Ross said, chomping one of the carrots he was supposed to be grating for salad.

‘His parents were old friend’s of Juan’s.’ Estefania said. ‘He and Rob were like brothers which is why he was Jaime’s godfather.’

‘He’s never talked about what happened to them other than to say it was a car accident.’ Ross said. He looked out the window to where Jim, Richie and Diego were constructing a square pit of bricks under Shandra’s watchful eye. Estefania had enlisted Ross to help her in the kitchen and Ross was pretty sure it was so she could interrogate him so he was determined to do some questioning of his own at the same time.

‘I don’t really know the specifics.’ Estefania said. ‘All I know is that something happened to Rob, a heart attack from Jim’s description, and Rose put him in the car and was driving him to the hospital. They lived quite out of the way in Somerset and she apparently thought it was quicker. The police said he had some kind of seizure in the car which probably caused her to lose control. They ended up going off a bridge. The car flipped and they both drowned.’

‘Fuck, that’s awful.’ Ross said. He stared at Jim who was laughing at something Richie was saying. ‘He seems so distanced from it when he talks about it, which is practically never.’

‘He’s never really talked about it.’ Estefania said. 'Rose had left him in the house, thank God otherwise he would have drowned with them. As it was it took a few days for people to realise they were missing and went to look for them. They found Jim in the house by himself, just sitting and watching TV and eating cereal out of a box. They assumed he was so calm because he was so traumatised.’ Ross felt a little twinge. He had the very strong suspicion that Jim had never been traumatised by anything in his life.

‘So then what?’ he asked.

‘Juan went to go get him once they discovered that he’d been made Jim’s legal guardian.’ Estefania said. ‘They had him in a children’s home. Apparently they’d put him in a foster home for the first week and the woman who ran it gave him back after two days. So Juan went to go get him and brought him back here to Miami. They spent a month with us, and then moved out to the cay.’

‘He loves John very much.’ Ross said. ‘He calls him his father.’

‘That’s because he is.’ Estefania said. ‘John adopted him when Jim was seventeen.’

‘Really?’ Ross was surprised. ‘I didn’t know that.’ He frowned. ‘That’s kind of weird though. Why would he adopt him so late? I would have expected him to do that when Jim was little.’

‘Why indeed.’ Estefania said with an odd tone in her voice.

********

_They landed and Jim was almost vibrating with excitement. John helped him undo his seatbelt and Jim waited for him to take down his hand luggage. The aisles were crowed so he picked Jim up, carrying him easily on his hip as they exited the plane. Inside the airport he put him down. Jim followed him happily, small hand clasped in John’s until they got to passport control. He looked at the small face watching him almost expectantly. John looked around and spotted a bathroom. Once inside he lifted Jim up so he was sitting on the counter and fixed him with a serious look._

_‘Just like we said.’ John said to him and Jim nodded. Then almost on cue, tears welled up in his big blue-green eyes and spilled down his cheeks. By the time John had hoisted him back up again and carried him out the bathroom Jim was the picture of distress, making tiny hiccoughing noises as he cried._

_They sailed through passport control, John’s tale of woe and the little blond orphan he now carried in his arms making it almost laughably easy to get through. Jim played his part so perfectly that no-one in customs dared to detain them and John got them out the other side and into the arrivals area without a hitch._

_‘Good lad.’ he said and the crying stopped immediately. Jim sat up in his arms and dried his eyes then gave John a brilliant smile._

_‘Can I ride the trolley?’ he asked and John nodded._

_‘Of course you can.’ he said._

_They got past the last stage and into the arrivals hall and John spotted the person who was meeting them. Diego smiled and lifted a hand in greeting._

_‘Juan.’ he said as they got to him. ‘Mi amigo.’ They embraced and then Diego leaned down and held out his hand._

_‘You must be Jaime.’ he said, his smile friendly. Jim tilted his head where he was still sitting on top of his suitcase on the trolley and looked at him with an expression of frank curiosity. He took the offered hand and shook it gravely then looked up at John._

_‘Why did he call me that?’ he asked and Diego raised his eyebrows at John at the unusual confidence in the boy’s voice._

_‘Because it’s Spanish for James.’ he said and the child looked back at him. Diego saw that his eyes were almost disquieting, the clear aquamarine colour belying the intensity of his gaze. ‘It’s the language we speak in Cuba.’_

_‘Oh.’ Jim looked thoughtful. ‘Can you teach me to speak it?’_

_‘If you’d like.’ Diego found himself smiling at the boy’s forthrightness. He looked up at John. ‘You sure he’s not yours?’_

_‘He is now.’ John said, ruffling the bright blond hair. He handed off the trolley to Diego and held out a hand to Jim. ‘Come on lad. Let’s get you home.’ Jim obediently hopped off his suitcase and took John’s hand. They walked out into the bright sunshine and John took his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on, then stopped a moment to grab the cap out of the bag over his shoulder, putting it on Jim’s head. Diego chuckled._

_‘He’ll be brown in no time.’ he said. ‘Richie and him can play in the pool.’ He addressed Jim. ‘Can you swim, Jaime?’_

_‘Yes.’ Jim replied. ‘I can.’_

_‘Good.’ Diego said. ‘Richie’s a year older than you but I think you two will be good amigos.’_

_‘We are going to stay with Diego and Carmen for a few weeks.’ John said, looking down at Jim. ‘Then we can go to the cay.’_

_‘All right. That’s fine.’ Jim said, seemingly nonplussed by the whole affair. He was busy looking around at everything. John caught Diego’s look and ignored the amusement he saw in his friend’s eyes._

*********

‘So he’s also British?’ Richie asked around his cigarette.

‘I would have thought the accent more than gave it away.’ Jim replied. ‘He’s from Cornwall.’

‘Where the fuck is that?’ Richie squinted one eye closed against the smoke. ‘Also you gotta admit it’s kind of funny, the two of you hooking up when you live in a city as big as New York. What are the chances?’ Jim and Diego exchanged a glance.

‘Pretty good actually.’ Jim replied. ‘I think half of New York is from England.’ He handed Diego a couple of bricks.

‘So how did you two meet anyway?’ Shandra asked. She made a disapproving noise when Richie packed in the next brick and he glared at her.

‘You do it if you don’t like the way I’m doing it.’ he said and she snorted.

‘I used to build this for my mother, God rest her, every Christmas so don’t be telling me what’s good and what’s not.’ she retorted. ‘There’s a hole on that side.’ She folded her arms and gave Richie a look that told him he had no choice but to comply. He heaved a martyred sigh and fixed the hole. Satisfied she turned back to Jim. ‘So?’

‘We met at a party.’ Jim said. ‘He stole the guy I was fucking from under my nose.’

‘Oh my God.’ Shandra laughed. ‘That sounds inauspicious.’

‘That’s what I thought.’ Jim replied. ‘Turns out I was seriously wrong on that count.’

*********

‘Like cat and dog.’ Estefania said. ‘And Richie was big for his age and Jim was small for his so it wasn’t always a fair fight. But then Jim learned how to fight dirty and he was soon giving back every bit as good as he got.’ She chuckled. ‘Diego had to pull them apart and they’d still be kicking and snarling at each other.’

‘So what changed?’ Ross asked. He was now sitting on the counter watching her make empanadas and taking mental notes.

‘I fell pregnant with Carmen.’ Estefania said. ‘And when she was born they kind of banded together to make this big brother protection club. Although, and don’t tell Richie this, I think that right from the beginning Carmen loved Jim more. When she was a baby she had awful colic. Used to cry all the time. I dreaded Jim going back to school because he was the only one that could make her sleep.’

‘That sounds like a seriously adorable image.’ Ross couldn’t help smiling.

‘He’d sit with her in his arms and sing to her.’ Estefania said. ‘John taught him all these sea shanties and that’s what he’d sing. He has a lovely voice.’ She too in the look of astonishment on Ross’ face. ‘You’ve never heard him?’

‘No.’ Ross looked back out the window. ‘If I’m honest, I feel like I have no idea who he is sometimes.’

‘He’s a sweet wonderful devoted person who would do anything for his family.’ Estefania said. She was now watching Jim out the window too. ‘I love him like my son, although I am under no illusions as to what he used to do Ross. And I know that you can’t be either.’

‘I’m not.’ Ross said. He smiled. ‘I never thought that I would see him like this. He’s so happy here.’

‘Well, the feeling is entirely mutual.’ Estefania said. ‘I have never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.’ She finished the empanadas and leaned against the counter. ‘I always hoped he’d meet a nice man who would love him in spite of what he is.’ She looked at Ross. ‘I don’t know what holds you two together but it’s making him the happiest I have ever seen him.’

‘I love him.’ Ross said, still watching the object of his affections through the window. ‘He’s kind of become my whole life.’

‘He does that.’ Estefania said.

***********

_Estefania heard the car and dried her hands on the dish towel and went to the front room to look out. Diego was pulling into the drive and she smiled._

_‘Ricardo.’ She called. ‘¡Ya llegaron.’ Richie came down the stairs and she took his hand and went out the front door to greet the visitors. Part of her was excited to meet John’s godson, although her heart ached for the child and what had brought him to their home. The other part of her was filled with a strange trepidation._

_She stood with Richie in front of her and he pressed against her legs, her arms over his shoulders and holding his hands in hers._

_‘Quién es, Mami?’ he asked and she smiled at him._

_‘You’ll see.’ she replied in English as the car doors opened and the occupants got out. Diego was first and he grinned at her and went around to the back of the car to retrieve their luggage. John was next and he pulled the car seat forward and gestured for the person in the back to come out. Estefania watched as the child came around the car with him and then her eyes widened. The boy with John was tiny. He looked closer to eight than to ten and his blue-green eyes were huge in his little face. He had thick light blond hair and was holding onto John’s hand tightly._

_They came over towards her and Estefania felt a tugging at her heart at the thought that the little mite was now effectively alone in the world. She knelt down next to Richie and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner._

_‘Hello.’ She said and held out her hand. ‘My name’s Estefania. It’ very nice to meet you, Jaime.’ Jim regarded her with a serious expression, then smiled tentatively. Estefania took one look at the dimples in his cheeks and fell in love on the spot._

***********

They were seated around the table and eating the dinner Estefania had prepared. Ross’ head was spinning a little, and not just because of the very string mojitos Richie had been serving all evening. He had met Maxine and her husband Javier and was now listening to the very loud debate going on in a garbled mix of Spanish and English. Next to him Jim was leaning back in his chair, one hand on Ross’ thigh. He was laughing, beer in his free hand.

‘But seriously?’ Maxine said. ‘Who even does that? What kind of moron thinks that shoving a kilo of coke up his ass is a good thing?’

‘A lot of people do it.’ Richie was laughing. ‘One hell of a way to go it the fucking casing splits.’

‘It’s a good thing you don’t need to.’ Shandra said, shoving him with her foot. ‘Your ass is so tight we wouldn’t be able to get anything up there.’ That brought a round of ribald laughter. Ross gave Jim a mildly scandalised look and Jim returned with a sidelong smile.

The food was amazing – mojo pork and rice and black beans; empanadas and fried plantain and grated carrot salad with orange. By the time they got to the end of the meal, Ross felt like he could barely move.

‘That was a meal fit for king.’ Diego said, leaning over and Kissing Estefania’s hand. ‘And you are a queen among women.’

‘Stop it.’ she said, but her smile was coquettish. Jim and Richie both got up and started to clear he table.

‘Tradition.’ Diego said to Ross. ‘The boys always clear.’

‘Child fucking labour.’ Richie said. Ross laughed and got up.

‘In that case.’ he said, not missing the look of approval that got him. He followed Jim into the kitchen and set the plates down. Richie snorted.

‘Just remember that you can check out, but you can never leave.’ he said and walked back out. They watched him go. Ross looked at Jim, eyebrows raised.

‘He has a tight arse?’ he asked and Jim laughed as he started packing the plates into the dishwasher.

‘You look surprised.’ he said. ‘Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover?’

‘It just seems so unlikely.’ Ross said. He ate the last piece of plantain out the serving dish. ‘I can’t really see Shandra sticking her cock up his arse.’ Jim smiled.

‘Some people might say the same things about us.’ he said and Ross shook his head.

‘No.’ he replied with a cheeky smile. ‘I think everyone knows you stick your cock up my arse.’ He jumped up so he was sitting on the counter. ‘Hey, can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’ Jim replied. He came over, standing between Ross’ knees with his hands at Ross’ waist. ‘I’m amazed you haven’t bombarded me with questions yet to be honest. I know I haven’t exactly been forthcoming with a lot of this stuff.’

‘I don’t expect you to be.’ Ross put his arms around Jim’s neck. ‘I know better than to pry.’ They looked at each other. ‘I just never expected this.’

‘What?’ Jim’s expression was amused and yet Ross saw something, an uncertainty he’d never seen before.

‘For you to have a family. For you to be like this around them.’ He leaned down, forehead against Jim’s. ‘Part of me wonders which you is real. This one or the one I have in New York.’

‘They both are.’ Jim replied. ‘And to be honest, they’re not the only ones you’re going to see.’ He looked into Ross’ eyes. ‘Does that bother you?’

‘Not as much as it should.’ Ross said. He sighed. ‘I am a little nervous though. About meeting him.’

‘Don’t be.’ Jim said. ‘He’s the one that I don’t have to hide with, like you. He’s going to accept you just like I do.’

‘I don’t know.’ Ross grinned. ‘This lot seemed to like me just fine. And they all seem to know what you are.’

‘They suspect.’ Jim said. ‘I’ve been very careful to not do anything here, anything that would put them in any kind of situation where they’d have to cover for me. They know I’ve killed people. So have they. They know I’m not…normal. But they have no idea just how not normal.’

‘I told Carmen.’ Ross said and Jim raised his eyebrows at him. ‘She asked me if I know you were broken inside. I told her I did and that I am as well.’

‘She’s always been a smart girl.’ Jim said. ‘I told Diego. He asked if you were like me and I said you were.’ He reached up and wound a dark curl around his finger. ‘Richie and Estefania don’t know. I prefer it like that.’

‘I find that very hard to believe.’ Ross said.

‘Yeah well, Estefania is blind to my faults and Richie is just an idiot.’ Jim laughed. He traced Ross’ lower lip with his thumb. ‘Don’t worry about John and don’t worry about them. Estefania’s already planning our wedding.’ It was said lightly, but the words hit Ross like a kick in the chest.

‘Oh.’ It was a soft exhalation. Jim chuckled at the look of shock on Ross’ face.

‘Not for a while yet, baby.’ he said. ‘But who knows.’ He leaned up and kissed Ross and Ross let himself melt into it.

‘Would you want to?’ he murmured when Jim pulled away from him.

‘Let’s just say I’m starting to not completely hate the idea.’ Jim replied and kissed him again.

They spent the rest of the evening outside with Jim’s family. Ross had pulled his chair close enough for him to lean against him, head on his shoulder while Jim kept one arm around him, occasionally dropping kisses on the top of his head. Ross contemplated the scene in front of him. He had never been made to feel so welcome before, even in the homes of his own family, Mathilde notwithstanding. It was something he could definitely get used to.

************

_Estefania sat on the sofa and watched as Richie showed Jim his toy car collection. They were chattering in that way that little boys did, no formalities or shyness between them as they drove the cars around on the living room carpet._

_‘He’s a sweet kid really.’ John said, sipping his coffee. ‘I am a little worried though. What the fuck do I know about being a father?’_

_What do any of us know?’ she replied. ‘We bring them up and hope for the best.’ She looked at John. ‘What are you going to do with him?’_

_‘Put him in school here for the next two years.’ John said. ‘Find us a place to live.’ He looked at Jim speculatively. ‘I want him to go to school in England after that. I have some contacts and Harrow will take him when he’s thirteen. He can board there and that will give me the freedom to keep going with the business. Then we’ll see.’_

_‘Well, our house is yours until you find something you like.’ Estefania said. ‘I think you should find something close. That way he can be here whenever you need him to.’ She shifted in her seat. ‘What is going to happen to their house and their things?_

_‘I’m renting the house out.’ John said. ‘I’ve brought his things with us, clothes and toys and what not. I’ve got a company that’s going to go pack it all up and bring it out here in a couple of weeks. I’ll put it in storage for him. Its Jim’s to do with what he wants when he gets older. He might want the connection to where he comes from by then.’ Those words made Estefania look at him._

_‘What do you mean?’ she asked and John quickly changed expression, his face becoming perfectly neutral._

_‘Nothing.’ he said and took another sip. He watched the child that he’d had fall in his lap. Jim seemed to sense his scrutiny and looked up at him, those odd eyes making John feel as unsettled as he’d ever had. ‘Nothing at all.’_


	6. Open Water and Drowned Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Ross start their trip to the cay.

The next morning’s send-off was long and festive. Ross had now discovered that the Vasquez family showed affection through three things: food, physical touch and presents. The last one had caught him off guard, but he’ been more than a little relieved when Jim had come out the pool house with some very small and apparently very expensive presents that Ross wasn’t even aware that he had bought. He didn’t come from a family that valued things like Christmas beyond it being a solemn family gathering that required him to sit in an extended church service and then get stuffed with food cooked by a put upon catering service because the house keeper had the day off, so he’d been extremely touched when they had presented him with his own gift.

They saw them off at the front of the house and Ross found himself being hugged multiple times by the same person as he was passed from one Vasquez to the other until Jim called time on the whole palaver and herded him into the waiting taxi.

‘You’ll be back in two weeks. Don’t even think about not coming to visit.’ Diego said, giving Jim one last hug and a gentle slap on the cheek. ‘You hear me Jaime?’ Jim smiled and nodded.

‘ _Si, Papi_.’ he replied. ‘I promise.’ He got in and closed the door and the taxi finally manged to drive away. Ross looked out the back window as the Vasquez family all waved and shouted their goodbyes.

‘Okay, your family is nuts.’ he said. ‘I think I love them.’ Next to him, Jim chuckled and let his head hit the back of the seat.

‘Now you see why I only come down once a year.’ he said. ‘They do my head in they’re so loud.’

‘They’re wonderful.’ Ross said. He leaned his head on Jim’s shoulder. ‘You’re wonderful.’ Jim chuckled and put his hand on Ross’ thigh.

‘Drama queen.’ he said affectionately.

***********

They got to the marina and got out. Ross was full of curiosity as to how they would be getting to the cay. Jim had said they would be sailing, and given Ross a brief history of the boat they would be on. He led Ross through the front gate and down to the office. They went in and a deeply tanned man with a weathered face stamped their passports and chatted with Jim briefly about a tides and weather patterns while Ross went out and looked at the sky. Jim finally came out and gestured for Ross to follow him.

‘All set and good to go.’ he said, handing Ross’ passport back to him. ‘Let’s go see the girl.’

‘The girl?’ Ross asked, trailing after him. ‘There’s a girl I haven’t met.’

‘Kind of.’ Jim replied. ‘She’s down here.’ They got to a series of pontoons and Ross saw a number of yachts tied up to the moorings. They walked down the third one and then Jim stopped. ‘So there she is.’ Ross looked on in disbelief.

The yacht was sleek and beautifully shaped, her curvaceous hull painted dark blue and with the name Hispaniola emblazoned along her side in gold lettering. She looked quite big and he felt a twinge of trepidation as Jim went to the stern and climbed aboard.

‘Come on then.’ he called Ross. ‘We need to sail with the tide so that only gives up a few hours to get everything stowed away and get going.’ He stopped when he saw Ross’ open mouthed expression of amazement. ‘Hey, earth to Ross.’

‘This is yours?’ Ross asked, still staring at the yacht. ‘You got this for your twenty-first birthday? As a fucking present?’

‘Yes, yes and yes.’ Jim laughed. ‘Come on, baby. I’ll show you around.’ He held out a hand and Ross finally went over to him and climbed aboard. The yacht shifted and moved under his feet, and Ross steadied himself then looked up into Jim’s dancing eyes.

‘You’ll get used to it.’ he said and took Ross’ hand, then led him below down a wooden gangway. The saloon of the yacht was spacious and modern, panelled in teak and with the seating upholstered in soft grey. There was a kitchen area immediately to starboard with a stainless steel cooker and stone worktops and in front of him were two seating areas, one for dining and the other more traditional and split to create a navigation station. Jim showed him through a door to the immediate left of the gangway where there was a spacious aft cabin with a large double bed with a hanging locker to the left of the doorway. The bed linen was the same soothing grey colour and the portholes at the top let in just enough light to make it cozy and almost cave like. Ross couldn’t help noticing the shelving that ran down one side was crammed with books. Jim chucked his bag on the bed.

‘So we sleep here.’ he said to Ross. ‘Unless you want your own room. There’s another cabin up in the bow over there where John usually sleeps. The head is on the right of the gangway.’

‘No, this is perfect.’ he replied. ‘I just can’t quite get my head around it.’ He looked at Jim. ‘And you sail this by yourself?’

‘No, that’s why I have you.’ Jim replied and then squeezed past him. ‘Now, come on. We have shit to do.’

‘But I know nothing about sailing.’ Ross protested.

‘You’re going to learn.’ Jim was already climbing back up to the deck. ‘But we need to get supplies and stuff. We’re going slowly, so it’ll be about three days before we get there. The cay is right down the bottom of the Exumas. And knowing how you eat, we’ll need to make sure we have enough on board. I don’t want to risk being cannibalised because you’ve run out of snacks.’

‘Funny.’ Ross said following him up and out.

They walked to the store that was just down the street and spent half an hour merrily bickering about what to feed themselves for three days. Finally they made their purchases and walked back with four bags apiece.

‘I can’t help but notice there is a distinct lack of alcohol in these bags.’ Ross grumbled as they walked.

‘That’s because it’s already aboard.’ Jim said. ‘Diego got her cleaned and stocked up for us. And when I say Diego, I mean he more than likely made Richie do it which means we’re probably going to have an excess of rum. And Coke. That’s why I bought limes and not to make sure you don’t get scurvy as you put it.’ He gave Ross a sidelong look. ‘Do you even know how long it takes to develop scurvy? A three day voyage is not going to do it. Quite frankly I am more concerned about those.’ Here he nodded at the one bag in Ross’ hand which held three cartons of Camels.

‘I’m going to be stuck on an island with you and your father for fourteen days.’ Ross said. ‘I am smoking and you can’t stop me.’

‘Fine but if I catch you smoking inside Nola, I am fucking castrating you.’ Jim countered and Ross rolled his eyes at him.

‘I can’t believe you call your boat Nola.’ he sniped back and Jim glared at him.

They got back aboard and then unpacked everything. Jim took charge of the kitchen and Ross took the opportunity to go topside and have one of the aforementioned cigarettes. He was sitting and enjoying the sun when he realised that he’d be far more comfortable with his sunglasses on. He killed the cigarette and went below. As he came into their cabin, he saw that Jim was standing with a gun in his hands, checking it over with the efficiency he used to handle all weapons.

‘You have one on board?’ he asked and Jim turned.

‘In case of emergencies.’ he said. ‘You don’t work in the industry as long as I did and take chances. Not when I have these on board.' He picked up a small black velvet pouch from the bed and chucked it at Ross. Ross frowned and opened it and then emptied the contents onto his palm and stared at them in amazement.

‘Are these real?’ he asked.

‘Very.’ Jim replied. ‘When John dies, the two of us going to be spending a very long time digging up my inheritance all over the cay.’ He chuckled. ‘He doesn’t really believe in modern concepts like just keeping the fucking money in a Cayman account.’

‘So there’s diamonds buried all over the cay?’ Ross said in disbelief. ‘Okay, I wasn’t going to say this, but you two are seriously odd.’

‘That’s why we suit each other.’ Jim laughed and took the diamonds back. He placed them back in the pouch and then lifted the mattress of the bed. The base was solid wood, or at least it looked to be. But then Jim ran his fingers around the ridge at the edge and a panel popped out which had previously been invisible. He put the gun and the diamonds inside the hidden compartment and closed it with a gentle push.

‘Let’s go up.’ he said. ‘We need to get ready to sail.’ He left the cabin and Ross followed him after retrieving his sunglasses. Up on deck he watched Jim setting the lines and sails and thought about the strange turn his life had taken in the last year. Jim moved easily about the deck then came back to him, pausing to kiss him once before moving on again.

************

_Twelve Years Previously_

_John watched as Jim set the lines just as he’d been taught. His godson had turned out to be a natural sailor, quick and agile and as adventurous as he could have ever hoped for. He’d been unusually nervous the first time they had gone out, but he’d soon discovered that Jim was more than able to follow directions and take orders. He’d learned and John had taught him everything he knew that came from a lifetime of being out on the water. Jim now easily surpassed sailors twice his age. It had resulted in him being accepted into the sailing team at Harrow from the first, despite his tender age, and all reports from his school claimed he was one of the best they had ever had._

_Boarding school had turned out to suit Jim perfectly. He’d been a couple of months shy of his thirteenth birthday when he’d gone, an exception Harrow had been happy to make when they had seen his previous grades. He was as happy as John had ever seen him when he’d gone to pick him up from Miami International. His days were filled with classes and sports and it provide the perfect avenue for his energy to be directed. John had paid for judo and karate classes, shooting and sub-aqua, which Jim had done as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. He considered it an investment and Jim had not disappointed him by being anything less than exceptional. After all, he had grand plans for the boy he now loved as well as if he’d been his own._

_He looked towards the bow and watched as Jim stood staring out to sea as they started their exit from the marina. He was still short for his age, looking closer to fourteen than sixteen, an angel faced boy with hair that would soon be bleached almost white by the sun. Sailing and martial arts had made him fit and strong, and his compact body was trim in his t-shirt and shorts. He seemed to feel John’s scrutiny and looked back at him, his strange sea-coloured eyes piercing._

 _That had been something John had had to teach him, how to hide that odd scrutiny that made most people feel like they were a mouse being watched by a hungry cat. Jim unsettled people, had unsettled him with the considering gaze. John knew what lay behind it, had seen it in the way Jim delighted in torturing and killing things, small animals or fish he caught at the cay. They had had a frank discussion about what had happened to his parents and John had been horrified by a tale of foxgloves in the night’s meal when Jim had found out his parents were going to send him for a professional assessment, although he swore blind that he hadn’t meant to kill them. He’d been afraid that they would send him away and he wouldn’t be able to see them or John anymore. John wondered, knowing just how cunning Jim could be when he put his mind to it and what a consummate liar he was. At the same time though, John had recognised a potential that would make Jim a very useful addition to his business._

_That was when he’d started grooming the boy. It had started as a game of hide and seek. The objective was that if Jim could get something through customs without being caught it would mean a trip to Waterstones where Jim could pick out whatever he chose and John would emerge with an armload of books. By the time they got back to their hotel, Jim’s nose would already be buried in one. The subject matter was unusual to say the least. Jim liked non-fiction and books about the sea, pirates and plants. He now had an extensive collection on the cay which had threatened to overwhelm the living area, so John had turned one of the spare bedrooms into a library for him._

_‘The wind’s good.’ Jim’s voice shook him out of his thoughts and John looked at him. ‘We should make good time.’ He smiled at John, the dimples making him look as innocent as it was possible to seem._

_John smiled back. He knew that he was raising a monster, but it was a monster that could be guided, controlled and crafted into something that would ultimately be useful, although the fact that Jim was as far from normal as it was possible to be had prevented John from making their relationship official. And there was also the fact that while Jim was the most terrifying thing John had ever encountered, he was also loving and sweet natured and fiercely protective of what he considered his. He reached out and ruffled the blond hair._

_‘That we will, lad.’ he said._

*********

Ross was sitting back with his eyes closed behind his sunglasses. The sun was high and it warmed him right through. He had discarded his t-shirt and was now stretched out in the seating well in front of where the Jim stood at the yacht’s wheel, piloting the Hispanola out of the marina using her outboard motors. Jim watched him, amused at how Ross was able to go from hyper to immobile in such a short space of time. His contrary baby sensed him looking at him and turned his head and gave Jim a lazy look over the sunglasses Carmen had bought him for Christmas. Jim should have been amazed that Ross was managing to pull them off, but he’d long since realised that Ross looked gorgeous whatever he was wearing.

‘Are you planning on sleeping all the way to the cay?’ he asked.

‘I’m not sleeping.’ Ross said, settling back down. ‘I’m contemplating.’

‘And just what are you contemplating, my love?’ Jim couldn’t help smiling at the snippy tone.

‘How many different ways I am going to make you fuck me in the next two weeks.’ Ross replied. He stuck his hands behind his head, and Jim noted with amusement that the sea air had made him go to full poodle, his curls thick and bouncy. ‘Starting today.’

‘That is not going to happen, baby.’ he said, making his tone deceptively casual to hide the surge of arousal Ross’ words had brought on. ‘I have to be focused on sailing Nola so we get there in one piece.’ Ross harrumphed and pouted prettily.

‘You promised. I won the bet.’ he said.

‘I said when we get to the cay.’ Jim corrected. ‘Not before.’ He grinned as the pout intensified. ‘But if you like you can tell me some of your ideas.’

‘There’s not really much point now.’ Ross said. ‘But you’re missing an opportunity to do what you want with me in a place where I have absolutely no escape.’ He sighed.

‘What like some bad porno where the innocent boy gets captured by the wicked pirate and forced to fuck him repeatedly against his will?’ Jim laughed. Then he noticed the slight colouring in Ross’ cheeks. ‘Oh, you are not being serious?’

‘Shut up.’ Ross retorted. ‘I don’t make fun of your kinks.’

‘That’s because aside from fucking you into the mattress, I don’t really have any.’ Jim said, smiling broadly. ‘Not like yours at least.’

‘I don’t think I like that insinuation.’ Ross said haughtily and folded his arms.

They got to the end of the marina and Jim went into action while Ross steered, having been trusted to make sure the yacht kept to her heading. The sheets caught the wind and the yacht picked up speed. Ross was surprised to find that it was soothing as hell guiding the yacht in line with the compass reading Jim had set. Jim eventually came back and stood behind him, his hands at Ross’ hips.

‘You’re doing really well.’ he said. ‘I think we’ll turn you into a sailor yet. Just stay on that heading.’ He kissed one lightly freckled shoulder. ‘Now you know which side’s which?’

‘Port.’ Ross said pointing left. ‘Starboard.’ He did the same thing in the other direction. ‘I can be taught, you know.’

‘I’m sure you can.’ Jim laughed, nuzzling at his sun-warmed skin. He chanced an experimental lick and was rewarded with a swat over Ross’ right shoulder.

‘Fuck off.’ he said. ‘I’m busy.’ Jim laughed and let him go.

**********

_John stood at the wheel and steered the yacht towards the marina. It had been a day since they had left Miami and they were going to stop off in Nassau and pick up an old business associate of his, ironically another James although this one was far older._

_Jim was at the bow with the bowline in his hands, having already set the fenders, as they came alongside the pontoon, leaping down gracefully to secure the mooring. He tied it fast and then moved to catch the stern line and do the same. John cut the engine and walked to the rail and set down the gangway. He walked across and joined Jim on the pontoon. He checked his mobile phone._

_‘Flint is at the Poop Deck. We’re going to join him for lunch.’ he said and Jim fell into step alongside him. ‘Then we can go do some shopping and head off this afternoon.’_

_‘All right.’ Jim had his hands in his pockets. He was a world away from the straight laced British public school boy who had arrived a day before, the only sign he was part of that particular institution being his perfect cut-glass enunciation. John was always fascinated by the metamorphosis when Jim came home from school. Gone was the uniform of pressed chinos and button down shirts and in its place was denim cut offs and t-shirts, Jim’s normally immaculately brushed hair now scruffy and textured by salt water. ‘You want me to go the chandlery and get the line?’_

_‘After lunch.’ John said. They got to the restaurant and headed inside, Jim trailing after him. John spotted their lunch companions sitting at a back table out on the deck and walked straight to them._

_‘Flint.’ he said, and the tall man with the auburn hair and sunburned complexion looked up from his beer and grinned expansively._

_‘Silver.’ The reply was full of good cheer. He and Flint had known each other long enough to have never called each other by their first names. They shook hands and then embraced roughly, friends who had also been rivals at one time. ‘You look well.’ He smiled at Jim. ‘As do you, young man. You’ve grown.’ Jim smiled back. He liked Flint and enjoyed his visits to the cay._

_‘Three inches.’ he confirmed. ‘Still too fucking short to ride the fucking Terminator at Thorpe Park though.’_

_‘Language.’ John scolded gently, giving him a light clip at the back of the head._

_‘Like yours is any better.’ Jim retorted. He was looking at the other person at the table, who had now also stood up, with frank curiosity. John did as well and saw a slimly built young man with thick dark brown hair and dark eyes. He was deeply tanned and when he smiled, it lit up his very good looking face with a flash of perfect white teeth._

_‘This is Andres Cordosa.’ Flint said. ‘He’s new.’ John shook the young man’s hand, approving of the firm grip, then watched as he and Jim did the same. He addressed him, switching to Spanish._

_‘Where are you from?’ he asked as he sat down, the other three doing the same._

_‘Barranquilla.’ Andres said. He was staring at Jim and something clicked at the back of John’s mind when he noticed that Jim was staring right back._

_‘Colombian.’ he said. ‘And how old are you?’_

_‘Nineteen.’ Andres replied._

_‘He’s good with a boat.’ Flint said. ‘And he’s trustworthy and smart. He’ll be a good addition.’ He signalled the waiter and ordered four Kaliks and a platter of conch fritters and fried fish. He sat back in his seat. ‘But we can talk shop when we get to the cay.’ He looked at Jim. ‘How’s school?’_

_‘Fine.’ Jim replied, still unable to tear his eyes away from Andres. ‘I’m finished with GCSEs this year.’_

_‘You get your results yet?’ Flint said as the waiter arrived with their beers._

_‘In a few weeks.’ Jim accepted his from John and sipped it. ‘But I know they’ll be good.’ It was said with a calm confidence that bordered on arrogance and John felt a surge of pride. Jim was bright and it stirred a great many paternal feelings. ‘And then I get to choose my subjects for AS-Level.’_

_‘Have you decided?’ Flint asked and Jim nodded._

_‘Art, Ancient History, Chemistry and Mathematics.’ he replied. ‘I’m still deciding about what to do after school, but this covers my areas of interest.’_

_‘Good thinking.’ Flint winked at John. He’d often teased him about getting landed with such a serious minded child. ‘Getting an education is a good back up plan. You don’t want to be like your dad and me.’_

_‘Oh, I don’t know.’ John said. ‘We haven’t done too badly.’ They locked eyes and chuckled. The food arrived and they started eating, although John noticed that neither Andres nor Jim were eating that much. And while he couldn’t vouch for Flint’s latest recruit, Jim had a tendency to inhale food at a rate of knots as did most teenage boys. The fact that he wasn’t meant something was afoot._

_John had had his suspicions about Jim’s sexuality. The boy showed not a bit of interest in chasing any of the brown skinned beauties that littered the neighbouring cays, and John had had a couple of reports from Jim’s school that he’d been caught in what they called a ‘compromising position with an older boy.’ He hadn’t been particularly peturbed by it. After all his own sexuality was broad enough to include not only several women, who he visited while Jim was away, but also the man now sitting next to him. He and Flint had knocked boots on more than one occasion, although they kept that knowledge to themselves. He hadn’t been the first man John had slept with and he very much doubted he would be the last, so the idea that Jim was more than likely gay wasn’t one that he had a problem with._

_He did find the fact that Flint had picked a very handsome apprentice with a similar outlook on things very amusing indeed._

_After lunch, Flint suggested that Andres accompany Jim to the chandlery to go get the line that was needed. That left him and John siting alone at the table, watching the two teenagers walking out the restaurant. Once they were gone, Flint turned to John with a wide smile._

_‘You’re welcome.’ he said._

_‘You know, I’m sure the boy could have found his own entertainment.’ John took a pull of his beer. ‘Christ knows it sounds like he’s been quite busy at school.’_

_‘Situational gayness.’ Flint said. ‘He needs a boy who is the same as him and not one who’s doing it because Jim’s the closest warm ass.’_

_‘Fuck.’ John choked on his beer. ‘I don’t think it’s got that far yet to be honest.’_

_‘Well, wouldn’t you rather him get involved with someone who’s in the life and has been hand-picked by myself.’ Flint said. ‘Andres is a good boy, and he’s perfect for Jim.’ He raised his beer. ‘You’ll see.’ John laughed and clinked his bottle against Flint’s._

_‘That we will.’ he replied._

************

The sun started to go down and Ross was inside cooking him and Jim dinner. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just pasta to go with the tomato and fresh clam sauce he’d made. There was an open bottle of chilled sauvignon blanc on the table, which was already set. Ross licked a splash of sauce off his thumb and then went to the gangway.

‘Jim!’ he called up. ‘Food!’ There was muffled reply. Ross smiled to himself and went back, taking the garlic baguette out of the oven and sticking it on a plate which he carried across. Jim came down into the saloon. The temperature had dropped and he was wearing a grey sweatshirt, although he was still barefoot. His hair was mussed by the stiff breeze that had set up and when he came over to wrap his arms around Ross from behind he smelled like fresh air and sea water.

‘It smells good.’ he said, kissing the side of Ross neck after he’d pulled his hair out of the way. ‘I love when you cook.’ Ross snorted a laugh.

‘Go sit.’ he said. Jim obeyed and walked over to the table and sat down, pouring the wine out while Ross dished the food up and brought it over, balancing carefully. Jim had been right though and he’d adjusted to the movement of the yacht. He sat down as well and they started eating.

‘It’s amazing.’ Jim’s voice was warm with approval and it gave Ross hat little kick it always did. Jim’s approval was worth its weight in gold to him.

‘I’m glad you like it.’ he replied, smiling. ‘The question is how much?’ Jim chuckled and kicked him gently under the table.

‘You’ll see.’ he said.

They ate in comfortable silence, their proximity to each other making them both calm and happy. Afterwards Jim helped Ross clean up and then they ventured back on deck, Jim returning to the wheel and Ross sitting close by and having his customary post-dinner cigarette. He looked up at the inky blue night sky and stared at the millions of pinpricks of light above him.

‘It’s so clear out here.’ he said.

‘It’s even better mid-Atlantic.’ Jim replied. ‘Nothing but black and all the stars.’ He watched Ross’ profile light up in the flare from his cigarette. ‘I love it out here. Everything’s quiet and perfect.’

‘It’s too quiet.’ Ross said, exhaling lazily. ‘But I am starting to see the attraction.’ He looked at Jim, his dark eyes reflecting the ember. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so calm.’

‘I’m only like this out here and when I’m with you.’ Jim said. The significance of his words did not escape Ross.

‘Is that why you love me?’ he asked, all seriousness. ‘Because I do that for you?’

‘I love you for lots of reasons.’ Jim said. ‘I love you because you make it easy to be quiet like this. But I also love you because this whole trip you haven’t batted an eyelid at anything I’ve thrown at you.’ His dimples shadowed his cheeks. ‘You know everything about me that I have divulged and you haven’t hit the road yet.’

‘And I’m not planning to.’ Ross replied. ‘And you don’t have to tell me everything because I really don’t give a fuck.’ He sighed and inhaled, the smoke ghosting over his mouth. He flicked the remains of his cigarette overboard and then stretched, his face twisting in an expansive yawn. ‘Damn, I’m actually quite tired.’

‘So go to bed.’ Jim said. ‘I’m going to be up here pretty much for the night. We’ll get to Chub Cay probably around one in the morning and drop anchor there for the rest of the night. Then we’ll get to Nassau tomorrow and we can go out for dinner. Then it’s across to Little Hog.’ Ross got up and came up to him. He put his arms around Jim’s shoulders and kissed the back of his neck.

‘I love you.’ he said and Jim turned enough to put his hand at the back of Ross’ head as he kissed him.

‘I love you too, baby.’ he said and got a quick smile. ‘Sleep well.’ Ross squeezed him once and let him go. Jim watched him descend and fell back into thought.

**********

_A week on the cay had brought Jim quite a few surprises, one of which was just how much he was attracted to Andres. The other was how much he and a guy from a tiny village in the north of Colombia had in common._

_Jim was under no pretences as to why Flint had brought Andres with him to the cay. He regarded John’s on-again off-again lover as something like an eccentric uncle who was in the habit of popping up with often unsuitable presents. Andres had seemed to be one of these, and Jim had kind of ignored him for a few days to hide the fact that he felt the need to drool every time he was around the older boy. But then he’d found Andres in his library and they’d started a conversation about books and to Jim’s surprise he’d discovered that Andre was extremely well read._

_The other surprise was that, while Jim thought Andres showed every sign of liking Jim just as much as Jim liked him, he had made no move to even kiss him. It was beginning to get very frustrating, especially with how Andres was in the habit of wandering around in a pair of denim cut-offs and very little else other than the silver crucifix around his neck. It had prompted a lot of unwanted erections and furtive jerking off on Jim’s part._

_He kicked the sand and glared at the retreating tide as he walked down the beach to the cabana. It was a sturdy wooden building with an outdoor rainwater shower and long drop toilet that John had given Jim for his own when he wanted his privacy. It was built on stilts on a stretch of pristine beach on the far side of the cay through the dense scrub which meant nothing could be seen or heard from the main house or vice versa._

_The reason for his retreat was that a yacht had shown up with a boatful of people that John knew from his various branches of the business for an impromptu party and things were now very loud and rather festive at the main house. Jim didn’t like crowds and noise at the best of times and had decided that he would ride it out in peace and quiet. He also knew that when John and Flint got drunk, they more often than not ended up having fairly noisy sex in Johns’ not very well insulated room and Jim couldn’t quite face that at the moment, not with a hot as fuck Colombian running around who had yet to make a move on him._

_Jim shifted the backpack he was carrying as he got to the scrub barrier and then disappeared into it. It was dense, but he’d worn a pathway that took him fifteen minutes to traverse and then he was through and out on a beautiful little half-moon shaped beach. The water just beyond was pristine and clear as crystal and the white sand underfoot was as fine as sugar. It was his own little piece of paradise. He got to the cabana and climbed the steps to the verandah which overlooked the sea. There was a hammock strung up under the eaves and he went to the slatted door and unlocked the padlock that held it secure._

_Inside it was perfectly simple. The room was square and dominated by a low platform wooden bed with two wooden chests acting as bedside tables. In the corner was a small table and two chairs and against the opposite wall was a series of shelves and a rail. On the shelves was a collection of books, a couple of hurricane lanterns like the ones on the bedside chests, a few glasses and plates, an enamel kettle and mugs and a box of matches. Underneath the shelves was another wooden chest, but this was longer and deeper. It, along with the two next to the bed, held most of the things Jim needed to be self-sufficient for a few days down there._

_Jim went and opened the wooden slats of the shutters so the breeze could filter through and then unpacked his backpack. He had a couple of tins of peach halves, one of condensed milk, one of evaporated milk and a few packs of beef jerky. He packed them all on the shelves. There was an abundance of fruit on the beach – guavas and sea grapes and coco plums - so he usually lived off those and the rock lobsters and fish he caught himself._

_Jim spent the rest of the afternoon in the water, diving for the aforementioned lobster and generally messing around. He came up with two good size ones and built himself a fire on the beach, cooking them over the open flames. He ate them with some fruit and then had peaches and evaporated milk for dessert followed by a mug of tea and condensed milk. He was now in his hammock, a hurricane lantern above his head while he read a book on tropical diseases._

_A sound in the undergrowth alerted him and Jim lowered the book. He wasn’t alarmed, however. John had taught him many things, one of which was how to defend himself. Jim knew the risks of the lifestyle they had and he was perfectly prepared to kill if he needed to. He was never without a knife, and in fact had one down the back of his shorts at that very moment. He reached for it, easing it out and silently easing open the blade._

_He sat up as a figure stepped out of the undergrowth. It came forward until Jim could see the glint of the light off the silver crucifix on the figure’s chest._

_‘Andres?’ he said and got a smile as Andres got to the steps. He was carrying an anodised bucket with some bottles in it._

_‘Can I come up?’ he asked. ‘I’ve got beer.’_

_Jim felt his stomach lurch. All week he’d been fantasising about him and Andres being in a situation where he didn’t have John and Flint grinning at them like a pair of maiden aunts at a matchmaking convention. But now it had arrived, he found that his heart was pounding and he was absolutely terrified._

_‘Okay.’ he managed. ‘Sure.’ Andres smiled and climbed the stairs and Jim half climbed, half fell out of the hammock. Andres was shirtless, and Jim found himself wondering what it would feel like to let his fingers drift over it. He bit the inside of his cheek to stifle the want inside him. He walked over and met Andres at the top step and sat down next to him, careful to keep some space between them. Andres cracked one of the beers and handed it to him, then opened one for himself._

 _‘So they’re all drunk as fuck and screaming way too loud.’ he said. ‘You had the right idea coming out here.’ He gave Jim a sidelong smile. ‘It’s nice. Took me ages to find it.’_

_‘It’s my line of defence.’ Jim said. ‘I don’t do so well in crowds.’ That surprised him. He’d never said that aloud to anyone before._

_‘I get that.’ Andres said. He looked down at the beer in his hands, peeling the label off. ‘I have six sisters. No privacy in my house.’ He looked at Jim. ‘Do you know how hard it is to jerk off in the house with six sisters?’_

_‘No.’ Jim said, and then quickly drank to hide the flush that had come to his face. ‘As you can see I have all this.’_

_‘Yeah, you’re lucky.’ Andres said. He shifted and Jim gritted his teeth against the wave of smell that came from him. He found Andres’ smell almost addictive, warm and mellow and musky like sun-warmed cedar. It made him want to bury his face in Andres’ neck and just inhale deeply._

_He must have been staring because when he came back into himself he found Andres looking at him, his dark eyes intent. Jim stared back, not sure what to do. Then Andres put his beer bottle down, reached for Jim’s and did the same. Then he put one hand at the back of Jim’s neck and pulled him close._

_‘Have you done this before?’ he asked, his breath ghosting over Jim’s mouth, and Jim knew what he meant. The blood started to pound in his ears and every sense felt like it was suddenly waking up._

_‘No.’ he replied. Andres smiled._

_‘I’ll make it good. I promise.’ he murmured and then he kissed Jim and it was perfect, soft and gentle and sending Jim’s pulse racing. When it was done, Andres stood up and held out his hand. Jim took it and let Andres lead him into the cabana._

*********

Jim started out of the memory, a strange feeling churning in his stomach.

He wasn’t stupid. If anyone had asked him why he had avoided dark haired men with smiles that lit up like the sunrise for so many years, he would have simply said they weren’t his type.

It was a lie.

It had been so long since he’d thought of Andres. His beautiful Andres who had ended up cut into pieces and fed to the sharks off the Venezuelan coast. There had been nothing left for his mother to bury or his sisters to mourn. The only thing Jim had left of him was the silver crucifix that he’d taken off one of the men who had killed the first man he’d fallen in love with, the only other man Jim had ever been in love with. He sighed as he remembered. It had been brutal and ugly and they had screamed and begged for mercy and Jim had given them none. And when he was done, he realised that he’d opened a door inside himself that he could never close. That he had to leave. The crucifix still hung over the bed in the cabana, the same bed Jim had lost his virginity in that night.

He switched the auto-pilot on and went down into the cabin. The lights were all off, but Jim could see well enough and knew the layout by heart. He went to the door of the cabin and opened it. There was just enough light from the moon coming through the porthole to make out the figure sprawled across the bed. He went to the edge and stroked the dark curls back from Ross’s face.

‘I’d never let anyone hurt you, baby.’ he whispered. ‘I’d burn the whole fucking world to keep you safe.’ Ross shifted, his breathing smoothing out once again when he was still. Jim looked at him, a surge of overwhelming love rising up inside him.

He stepped away from the bed and left Ross to sleep.


	7. From Florida to George Town - An Adventure in Debauchery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross' has some very good ideas sometimes, and Jim thinks about the past.

The gentle swaying of the boat was definitely conducive to sleep. Ross woke up feeling really good, more relaxed than he could remember feeling. He turned over and saw that Jim was already up. He had a brief recollection of him coming to bed at some time in what must have been the early morning and getting into bed next to him, his arm going around Ross as it now habitually did.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and listened. He could hear music, one of Jim’s jazzy ladies, and smiled.

‘Babe?’ he called and got no reply, which meant that Jim was probably up on deck. Ross stretched and then got up, grabbing a kikoi which he tied around his hips, and then opened the cabin door and peered out. There was the smell of fresh coffee but no sign of Jim, although the hatch was open. Ross padded through to the head. He started the shower and then got in after discarding the kikoi, the lukewarm water cooling him down. The cabin was a little warmer than he was used to and he’d woken up sweaty. The shower was on the small side and Ross huffed with laughter as he tried to wash his hair and body at a series of extremely of angles. Once he was done, he rinsed off and then got out. He could feel that it was hot already and decided to simply air dry. He tied the kikoi around himself again and then ventured out up on deck.

The view that greeted him was nothing short of spectacular. Chub Cay marina was a series of pontoons in a perfectly flat lagoon that was overlooked on three sides by pastel coloured buildings and blinding white sand. It was like something directly out of a holiday brochure and Ross stared around him. The air was warm and smelt of flowers and salt and engine oil.

‘Morning, beautiful boy.’ Jim’s voice drifted down to him and Ross looked back to see him standing at the bow, a coffee mug in his hand. ‘You sleep well?’

‘Like a fucking baby.’ he replied, climbing up and walking to Jim. He leaned down and was greeted with a scratchy kiss, and noted with surprised that Jim hadn’t shaved. ‘I can’t believe how amazing this place is.’

‘Well, don’t get too comfortable.’ Jim said. ‘We’re heading out in a couple of hours. If you go get dressed we can go to the marina restaurant and I’ll buy you breakfast.’ He gave Ross a slap on the backside. ‘Best get moving, before I tear this off you and fuck you on deck.’ Ross laughed as he was shoved away.

‘Promises promises.’ he retorted.

*********

_Four months previously_

_Jim sat and listened to the phone ring. It droned in his ear for what seemed like forever until it was finally answered._

_‘Yeah.’ John’s voice was the same as always. Jim supressed a smile at the barely concealed irritation in his adopted father’s voice._

_‘Hi.’ he said. ‘You sound chipper as always.’ There was a snort on the other side._

_‘Fucking tourists.’ John said, his voice almost a growl. ‘If people can’t learn to use a fucking compass, they have no business on a fucking boat.’ There was a pause. ‘Why are you calling me? It’s Monday.’ This time Jim laughed out loud._

 _‘Jesus Christ you’re fucking cranky today, old man.’ he said. ‘I’m calling to ask you something.’_

_‘Why?’ John’s voice sounded suspicious. ‘You’re still coming, aren’t you?’_

_‘Yes, I’m still coming.’ Jim shifted the phone from one ear to the other as he looked out the terrace doors. It was late in the season but the sun was out and Ross was sitting on the terrace playing with the boys. Jim watched as Apollo jumped for the old sock Ross was dangling just above his nose and felt his heart give a little jump. ‘But it does have something to do with it.’_

_‘And what may that be?’ John said. Jim could hear he was walking and then the change in sound that signalled he was out on the deck. He took a deep breath and took the plunge._

_‘Ross is coming with me.’ he said. There was a silence on the other side and Jim knew that John was smiling._

_‘Good.’ he said. ‘I am very keen on meeting the person that’s threatening to make an honest man out you.’_

_‘Oh, for God’s sake.’ Jim laughed. ‘Do not mention the m-word while he’s there or I swear I am going to drown you in your own lagoon.’_

_‘I’m glad he’s coming, Jim.’ John said, and this time his voice was sincere. ‘You’ve been alone too long.’_

_‘I’m twenty-eight John, not ninety-eight.’ Jim said._

_‘You know what I mean.’ John replied. ‘I’m very happy you’ve found someone to love again. There was a time when I thought that it wouldn’t happen. And it’s not a life worth living unless you have someone to share it with.’_

_‘Yeah?’ Jim said. ‘You ever going to take your own advice?’_

_‘I’m too old and set in my ways.’ John said. ‘And so is he.’_

_‘Bollocks.’ Jim replied. ‘If I can do it, so can you. Is he coming for Christmas?’_

_‘Maybe.’ John said. ‘You know Flint. He goes where the wind takes him.’_

_‘Why the fuck don’t you two just get on a plane to Vegas and do the honourable thing?’ Jim said. ‘You know you’ve never found anyone you love as much as you love him. Christ, you married Evie and you didn’t even fucking love her.’_

_‘That’s precisely why we haven’t.’ John said. ‘And neither of us are the settling down type. We never have been.’ There was another pause and when he spoke again, his voice was warm. ‘However, I am very much looking forward to meeting your Ross, Jim. Very much indeed.’_

_**********_

Ross sat back in his chair and watched as Jim paid the bill.

‘So now what?’ he asked.

‘We head off when we get back.’ Jim said. ‘I did everything that needs to be done this morning while you were getting your beauty sleep.’ He smiled at Ross who crinkled his nose at him. ‘So, unless you want to do some shopping before we go, that’s pretty much it. We should get to Nassau this afternoon and we can stop for the night if you want or we can keep sailing which means we’ll get to George Town late tonight. We can stop over and pick up the supplies John needs in the morning and then it’s only a couple of hours to the cay.’

‘I am actually really looking forward to this.’ Ross said. ‘I was feeling kind of apprehensive but the last few days have made me realise that this making me understand you so much more.’

‘Well, that was unnecessarily sentimental.’ Jim was grinning at him.

‘Blow me.’ Ross said mildly. ‘I’m trying to say that this was a good idea and I am glad I came.’

‘I know you are.’ Jim replied. ‘And for what it’s worth, thank you for being so open minded.’ Then the grin widened. ‘I just hope you can keep it up.’ That made Ross frown.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked. ‘Are there more surprises?’ Jim hid a smile.

‘You’ll have to wait and see.’ he said.

They walked back along the beach to the marina, wading in the warm water. At the dock, Jim got the water and fuel topped off while Ross went and stuck his nose in the tiny shop. There wasn’t much to speak of, but he bought some beers and a couple of bags of Cheetos and a fridge magnet that had a cartoon conch waving from it shell and saying Welcome to The Bahamas. When he got back, Jim was on the deck talking to the attendant. He smiled when he saw Ross and the attendant walked off, leaving them together. Then Jim spotted the bag of snacks.

‘What the fuck are those?’ he asked and Ross held the bag away from him.

‘Shut up.’ he said. ‘They’re fucking delicious.’ Jim shook his head at him.

‘Get your arse on board.’ he said.

They sailed out, the passage smooth and easy. Jim set the sails once they were clear of the channel and Ross settled into the seating well with a beer and his Cheetos, sunglasses on and his feet up.

_*********_

_Christmas, twelve years previously._

_John waited for Jim to get into the arrivals lounge at Exuma International, hands in his pockets. He normally went to meet him at Miami Airport so they could spend a few days of the Christmas holiday with Diego and Estefania, but not this year. Instead he’d made Jim catch a further flight and had come to collect him in the Whaler. He was nervous, shifting from one foot to the other. Jim came towards him, smile wide at seeing his godfather. John pulled him close, accepting the hug which was given._

_‘Hello lad.’ he said, dropping a kiss on the blond hair. ‘You well?’_

_‘Yes.’ Jim said, and then gave him a look that told John that this change in plans had not gone unnoticed and that he would soon be expected to give an explanation. ‘The flight was a bit bumpy but nothing to worry about.’ John smiled at that. The boy was always so serious that it was hard to tell when he was joking or, for that matter, lying._

_Shall we get going?’ he said, and reached for Jim’s bag. Jim’s eyes narrowed infinitesimally._

_‘Sure.’ he said. They left the building and caught a taxi to the marina, then boarded the motor boat that John used to travel between cays._

_They made small talk as they motored from George Town to the cay. The trip took about an hour and John kept up the stream of questions as he and Jim sat and exchanged news. He was very careful not to mention anything that might tip him off, but Jim had an uncanny sixth sense that knew when people were being less than truthful. It was something that had come in very handy when it was being directed for his benefit, but John found being on the receiving end of it more than a little uncomfortable._

_He would never have said he was afraid of Jim. He knew his godson adored him and the feeling was certainly mutual and he knew that Jim would probably hurt himself before he hurt John. It had been the two of them for the last seven years and John often thought that in some ways they were actually closer than any father and son could be. He knew he loved Jim like he would his own child._

_The question was, just what was about to happen when John gave him the news he was currently holding onto. He looked across and saw those light eyes watching him intently._

_‘Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?’ Jim said and John cursed what must have a been a lapse in his poker face._

_‘Something’s happened.’ he said finally and Jim nodded once._

_‘Clearly.’ he replied. ‘Or you wouldn’t be so fucking jumpy.’ He looked at the horizon. ‘What exactly?’_

_‘We’ve had a visitor.’ John replied._

_*********_

_‘_ So what’s the cay like?’ Ross looked at Jim from his vantage point where he was lying in the seatwell of the yacht.

‘Not too big.’ Jim said. ‘It’s about twenty acres split into two. John bought it for a song off some American bloke that didn’t really have the time or money to invest in it. He but in a power grid, which runs off a couple of generators and built the main house. It’s pretty remote though, about twenty miles south of Great Exuma. Not a lot of traffic unless some wanker is lost.’ He grinned. ‘I wasn’t joking when I said no clothes.’

‘You could have no clothes already, but you have to ‘pilot the yacht’.’ Ross held up his hands to make the quotation marks.

‘And if we ran aground because I was distracted?’ Jim laughed. ‘Then what?’ He laughed even louder when Ross gave him the finger and proceeded to ignore him.

_*********_

_John was surprised by Jim’s reaction when he told him about the unexpected visitor that had turned up two months previously at the cay. He wasn’t quite sure what he had expected Jim to do, but the remarkably calm expression on his godson’s face had thrown him a little. Now he was asking questions and John was having to mentally run to keep up with him._

_‘So she’s been here for two months already.’ Jim had a slight frown that made him look seventeen going on forty. ‘Why exactly didn’t you tell me?’ He was leaning against the rail and John had to shake the feeling he sometimes had that he was the child and Jim was the adult._

_‘I didn’t know if it would work out. I didn’t want to tell you she was staying when have you get excited about meeting her and then something happened and she was gone before you got here.’ John said. Jim raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Look, I am well aware of how hinky this sounds. But I got Diego to do some digging and her story checks out. She even has a fucking birth certificate and it’s genuine. The dates match up as well.’ He sighed. ‘Look, the last time I saw Evie was seven years ago and that was that. She told me she didn’t want any more to do with me and we went our separate ways. Then six years later, I get a notification that she’s died of cancer. No mention of a daughter at all.’_

_‘Don’t you think that’s kind of weird though?’ Jim’s eyes were ever so slightly narrowed._

_‘We didn’t leave things well. I imagine she thought she was protecting them both by pretending I was dead. At least that’s what her family told Coral.’_

_‘And now she’s just turned up wanting to play happy families?’ Jim didn’t look or sound convinced. ‘That’s kind of convenient, don’t you think?’_

_‘Jesus Christ.’ John said, a little exasperated. ‘Look, I wouldn’t have asked her to stay if I had thought she wasn’t on the level. She is. Trust me.’ He walked over to Jim and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘She wants to get to know us. Both of us. She’s discovered that she suddenly has a family she knew nothing about. And you’ll like her. She’s smart and damn funny and I think you two are going to get along really well. And I like having her around, to be honest. I miss you when you’re away and it’s nice to have the company.’ John knew the second he said those words that that had been the wrong tack to take. Jim’s face went blank and his eyes cold as he shut down completely._

_‘Well, she’s not my family.’ he said bluntly. ‘And if you were so bloody worried about being by yourself, then you shouldn’t have sent me away to school.’ He got up and walked away from John to the stern when he sat with his back to him, looking out to sea and John knew he’d just been summarily dismissed. He sighed heavily and decided to leave it for a bit. Jim just needed some time to adjust to their new situation. He didn’t deal with change well but once he got his head around it, it would be fine. He just needed to meet Coral and get to know her a little bit and then he would be more welcoming._

_At least he hoped so._

*********

They were an hour into the voyage when Jim spoke.

‘It’s getting hot.’ he said and Ross made a non-committal noise. When there was no reply, he opened his eyes, sat up and looked at Jim.

‘So?’ he said and Jim looked pointedly at him.

‘So, you’re going to burn. Your nose is already pink.’ he said and Ross frowned.

‘I don’t burn.’ he replied and lay back down. ‘I tan.’

‘You will. Go put some sun block on.’ Jim said. Ross heaved a martyred sigh, but he slowly got up. He knew that when Jim used that tone, there was no arguing with him. He went below, dragging his feet. The Caribbean sun had made him lethargic and everything felt like it was an effort. He got to the head and rooted around in the locker for sun cream and spent a few minutes applying it to his face, arms and chest. The head filled with smell of coconut.

He came out and then he was hit. It happened so quickly that Ross didn’t have time to react before he found himself pinned against the wall, one hand behind his back and his neck in an iron grip.

‘Do you trust me?’ Jim’s voice was flat and emotionless and it thrilled him more than Ross would ever confess. He felt a fire start inside him.

‘I trust you.’ They were the words that he spoken more times to Jim than he had to anyone else.

‘What do you say when you want me to stop?’ Jim asked. Ross’ breathing was getting rapid and for a moment he couldn’t answer. Jim squeezed his neck, spurring him into action.

‘Brooklyn.’ he replied and Jim leaned against him. ‘Or two blinks.’

‘Good boy.’ he breathed and then Ross found himself being manhandled away from the wall and towards the cabin so quickly he couldn’t have fought back even if he wanted to. Jim got him through the door and face down onto the bed, and then dragged Ross’s hands behind his back. There was a twist and then they were tied securely, with not an inch of give. The rope felt smooth against his skin, and Ross identified it as probably some of the nylon line Jim used on the yacht.

Jim climbed onto him, sitting so Ross’ thighs were pinned. Ross turned his head enough so that he could breathe and wriggled experimentally. Then Jim grabbed a handful of his hair and shook him hard so that the pain flared through his scalp and made him gasp.

‘Stay still.’ he ordered, his voice rough. ‘You move when I tell you to.’ There was a quiet snick and then Ross felt the tip of a knife tracing down between his shoulder blades, the tip scraping softly through the fabric of his t-shirt. He decided to chance it.

‘I thought you said pirate captain and captured sailor was a stupid idea.’ he said and Jim responded by pushing his face into the bed.

‘Are you going to keep quiet or do I have to shut you up?’ Jim replied. He held Ross there and Ross went limp. ‘Good. Now you keep quiet or I’m going to really give you something to scream about.’ There was a tickle as the steel of the knife blade connected with Ross’ bare skin where his t-shirt was rucked up. Then it slid underneath and there was a tearing sound as Jim cut the t-shirt up the back and along the shoulders, pulling it off Ross and chucking it on the floor. Ross lay perfectly still. His wrists were starting to ache.

The knife drew lazy circles on his bare skin and the feel of it made Ross harden quickly. He stifled a moan and then Jim got off of him. His hands were now at Ross’ waist, yanking his shorts and briefs off so he was completely naked. Ross could hardly breathe he was so excited and then he heard the sound of the locker door. He tried to focus over the pounding in his ears, but Jim was soon back, pulling his legs apart and shoving two fingers into him with no warning and no preparation other than the fact that he’d slicked them with lube.

It hurt and Ross gasped, but he didn’t give the word. This was what he’d wanted, and all his senses fired as Jim worked him open with a minimum of care. It was brutally efficient and after only a minute Jim climbed on top of him and then he was pushing inside, driving in hard enough to make Ross almost scream.

‘Fuck!’ The word was muffled by the bed covering, but Jim retaliated by grabbing Ross’ hair and yanking his head back, going so deep that Ross almost blacked out from the pleasure of it.

‘Scream all you like.’ he panted, and Ross could hear how close to the edge he was already. ‘No-one can fucking hear you. No-one can stop me doing anything I want to you.’ He angled down and Ross did cry out this time as the head of Jim’s cock nailed him right where he needed him to. Jim kept going, thrusting relentlessly in time with his animalistic growls and Ross felt himself tightening up around him as he skirted so close to the edge that it was only another two thrusts and then he came, losing all control of himself as he screamed into quiet. Behind him, Jim yanked once on his hair and then Ross felt himself being flooded with heat. Jim let his hair go and fell forward, braced on his hands either side of Ross.

They lay like that, both breathing like they were drowning, until Jim moved back and pulled out. Ross felt him get off the bed and then heard him leave the cabin, closing the door behind him. He melted into the bed, feeling the warmth of Jim’s semen leaking out of him and cooling on contact with the air.

The whole thing had taken less than ten minutes.

*********

_The approach to the cay was on the north-eastern side of the island, which was separated by a narrow band of land into two distinct sections. The north part was undeveloped and had Jim’s beach right at the northern border. The larger southern part was home to the main house, power shed and the longest of the three beaches._

_John guided the Whaler into the deep water slip alongside his 52-footer that he used for running, and Jim hopped off the side to secure the lines. He caught his bag when John tossed it to him and walked off without waiting. John watched him stomp off and then followed. They took the well-worn dirt path to the large open stretch of grass and trees where the main house stood, it’s blinding white wooden walls reflecting the sun. It was built in traditional style, long and low and with a verandah that ran around the outside and French doors to let in the sea breeze. It was elevated on stilts and there was a wooden walkway that led down to the decked area that led out over the lagoon for swimming._

_Jim’s mind was racing. He didn’t like John’s news at all, not one little bit. He counted the people he trusted on one hand, namely John, Diego and Estefania and Flint. He didn’t even trust Andres fully, in spite of the fact that they had spent the entirety of his summer holiday shagging like the oversexed teenagers they were and Jim was pretty sure he was falling head over heels for him. The idea of sharing the affections of the man he now regarded as his father also didn’t sit well with him, and he was very definitely not of a mind to share what he regarded as his home with a stranger._

_They got to the house and Jim climbed the stairs to the main part of the verandah. Even as he went inside, he could feel a noticeable change in the aura of the building and smell a new scent pervading the air, fruity and floral. It made his nose twitch in an uncomfortable way and Jim immediately bristled when he saw signs of the interloper’s presence – a pair of floral flip flops by the front door and a floppy sun hat hanging on the hook. John came in behind him._

_‘Coral!’ he called. ‘Jim’s here.’ Normally John’s tendency to announce the obvious amused Jim, but now all he felt was irritation. He heard footsteps and then a particularly beautiful young woman came in from the room that he used as his library. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress that set off her dark eyes and mocha skin and Jim nearly lost it when he saw that she had one of HIS books in her hand._

_John had said that she was twenty-four but Jim thought she looked younger. She smiled at him and put the book on the console table and then practically galloped over, throwing both arms around his neck. To his further annoyance, she was taller than him by a full head. The hug was so inappropriately intimate that he had to fight an urge to get away._

_‘It’s so nice to meet you.’ Her accent grated on his already frayed nerves. ‘Dad’s told me so much about you.’ Jim glared at John over her shoulder and John studiously avoided his angry look. ‘I can’t tell you how excited I am that you’re finally here. I’ve always wanted a little brother.’_

_‘Yeah. Brilliant.’ he said, his voice flat and still giving John a look that said there would be hell to pay later. John stepped past them and headed for neutral ground._

*********

Jim stood at the wheel, the picture of calm. It had been just over an hour since he’d fucked Ross in the cabin and he’d since gotten himself back under control. He didn’t normally give into his baser instincts, which was something he’d always been proud of. When he’d ben younger, it had been more difficult to separate sex and pain but now he was good at it. But when Ross had made his confession on their first day at sea, Jim had felt like something was clicking into place. Ross wouldn't be frightened by Jim losing it with him. He wouldn’t be driven off by Jim’s needs and desires which he’d kept so carefully hidden because some of the things he liked to do were pretty out there.

Jim had never been in doubt of the fact that what they did in the tunnels and what they did in bed should be kept separate. But now he was starting to appreciate that there could be a little blurring of the lines, so long as it was safe and they both agreed to it.

Things were starting to stir inside him, things which he’d kept buried and not let see the light of day. Thinking of Andres had surprised him. Losing him had hurt so badly and driven Jim to commit an atrocity which had in turn kicked off the realisation of what he was capable of. But of course that had been the end of path that he’d started treading long before that.

He checked the compass and adjusted the heading. With Ross tied up and with Jim’s other plans for the evening, they would not be stopping at George Town. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to customs officials why he had a naked man tied up in his cabin, even if the naked man was in on the joke. He smiled to himself as he remembered Ross’ pained cry when he’d penetrated him, the edge to his moans when Jim had pulled his hair and fucked him hard enough to bruise. He’d never been brave enough to do that with Andres, and all the men that had come after had simply been a dress rehearsal for the man he now found himself utterly in thrall to. The same man currently immobilised and laid out for his pleasure like his own personal toy, acres of quickly darkening skin and black hair exposed to his gaze. That thought was enough to make Jim hard again and he set the autopilot and headed down below decks.

Time for round two.

He got to the gangway and descended, listening for any noise from the cabin. When he got to the door, he looked in and felt his cock get very interested in what he saw. Ross was sprawled open legged on the bed, and the current vantage point meant that Jim could see the gleam of wetness on the inside of his thighs. That and the sight of the blue nylon line against Ross’ wrists were a hell of a lot more arousing than he had expected. He dropped his shorts and walked to the edge of the bed, hearing Ross’ breathing hitch as he got to him. Jim was tempted to just climb on and sink into him, but decided to torture Ross a little. So he stood there, one hand on himself as he let his eyes drift over Ross from the thick dark hair along the elegant length of his spine and down.

The seconds ticked by and he could see the tension start to seep into Ross’ body and his breathing change and quicken. He was clearly trying to stay still, but eventually he obviously couldn’t restrain himself and looked back over his shoulder. That was Jim’s cue.

He moved quickly, getting onto the bed and grabbing Ross by the shoulders and turning him over onto his back. Ross was clearly not expecting him to do that and his audible gasp only fuelled Jim’s desire. He looked down into the gorgeous hazel eyes, wide and startled, and then grabbed the hair at the top of Ross’ head as he straddled his chest. Ross went still as he realised what was coming, but then he obediently opened his mouth and Jim wasted no time in sliding his cock into Ross’ waiting mouth. They locked eyes and Ross blinked once, signalling Jim that he was ready. That was Jim’s cue to start moving.

He didn’t spare Ross’ comfort, thrusting in hard and fast until Ross was almost gagging, spit covering his chin and running down from the corners of his mouth. He was clearly in discomfort, but his eyes stayed locked with Jim’s and they were calm and clear. Jim increased his pace and Ross reacted by sucking harder as he pulled out and relaxing completely when he thrust back in until his orgasm hit and Jim came down his throat. Ross swallowed as much as he could, but the residue dribbled out the corners of his mouth and it was so hot Jim wanted to capture the image of it forever and replay it again and again.

He eased out and Ross finally got his breath back, coughing a little. Jim waited for him to recover then moved back down to take Ross in his hand, spitting into it to ease the way. It didn’t take long and he used all his expertise to bring Ross to orgasm in the quickest time possible. Ross bowed off the bed, his voice hoarse as he cried out and came in Jim’s hand. Jim didn’t wait for him, instead he moved back up and shoved his cum-covered fingers into Ross’ mouth and watched lick them clean of his own semen.

Then he got up and left him once again.

*********

_A week later and Jim was ready to kill. He had been steadily reaching the end of his tether with Coral and her quite frankly obnoxious cheeriness and tendency to assume everything was fair game in the house. It had been bad enough that she had been reading his books, but when Jim went in search of one and couldn’t find it, it had prompted a search that had led him to the guest room that she was using and that had been where he’d finally located it._

 _It wasn’t that he didn’t like girls. He liked Estefania and Maxine and he adored Carmen. But Coral was loud and got in his personal space, forever draping herself over him and hugging him and ruffling his hair in that infuriating way of hers. It made him want to break things. Not only that, but he was beyond jealous at the way John had simply given her run of their home, and the way she referred to him as ‘Dad’ was enough to make Jim feel his normally carefully controlled urges spill over._

_So in a fit of pique that morning, he had packed his things up and headed down to the cabana. Of course when he’d got there, he’d discovered it unlocked. There was a lime green bikini hanging on the line next to the bed and signs that she’d used the place all over the show. It had taken him the whole morning to clean everything out and by the time he was done, Jim had been incandescent with rage. He’d burnt the offending bikini on his fire and that had made him feel a little better. John had trundled down later and tried to convince him to go back, but Jim had refused point blank and John had returned alone. He’d then obviously decided to call in the big guns, because not three hours later a familiar face had turned up at the cabana. When he saw him Jim had decided to channel his energy into something more enjoyable and dragged Andres inside where he’d promptly pounced on him and spent the next hour working out his issues. Andres had been only too happy to help._

_They were now lying naked on the unmade bed looking at the beach and the water beyond. Jim was on his stomach, picking moodily at the wooden bed frame, and Andres was on his back next to him, smoking a cigarette and listening to Jim rant._

_‘She’s so fucking annoying.’ he said, sounding beyond stroppy. ‘I fucking hate her.’ Andres smiled._

_‘She’s okay.’ he said. ‘She’s just very American.’_

_‘She’s a pain in the bloody arse.’ Jim settled his chin on his hands. ‘And she’s everywhere. I can’t speak to John without her popping up.’_

_‘You’re just jealous.’ Andres said. ‘It’s normal. When my little sister was born, I apparently tried to sell her to the next door neighbours.’ Jim turned and looked at him._

_‘She’s not little.’ he said. ‘And it’s not just me being jealous. Something doesn’t sit right.’_

_‘You’re so suspicious.’ Andres took a deep drag and exhaled lazily before flicking the cigarette out the open door and onto the sand. ‘Now, are you going to bitch or fuck?’ Jim rolled his eyes at him but relented. The rest of the afternoon put him in an agreeable enough mood that Andres was able to convince him to at least go back to the house for dinner._

_They were now all sitting out on the deck, and Jim was watching John make an arse of himself in the way he was fawning over his newly acquired daughter. Flint was on the other side of John and he was watching Jim. Their eyes met and Flint made a slight movement with his head._

_‘I think we need more drinks.’ he announced. ‘Jim, come help me.’ Jim got up and followed Flint up the footpath to the house. Once they were inside the kitchen, Flint turned to him. His grey eyes were serious._

_‘What do you think?’ he asked. ‘And I want your professional opinion, not your personal one.’_

_‘If she’s lying, then she’s very good at it.’ Jim replied without hesitating. ‘John said everything about her checked out.’_

_‘It does.’ Flint said. He took out more beers from the fridge and put them in the bucket. ‘Okay, now what is your gut telling you.’_

_‘That she’s not to be trusted. That this whole scenario is a little too convenient.’ Jim took one from the fridge and opened it. He drank and then looked back in the direction of the deck. ‘At best she’s after money.’_

_‘And at worst?’ Flint asked, his tone deceptively casual. Jim shrugged._

_‘Who fucking knows.’ he said. Flint frowned._

_‘This isn’t good. I have a job to do, but I can’t be letting things slip with her around.’ He handed the bucket to Jim. ‘Look, I have a shipment to deliver next week. You want a job over Christmas?’_

_‘Sure.’ Jim replied. ‘Not much point in me hanging around here.’_

_‘All right. You can come with us tomorrow.’ Flint said. ‘Just make sure you and Andres fuck out of earshot. I don’t want to feel like the poor bugger who has to stand behind the camera.’_

_‘Deal.’ Jim said and for the first time since he’d gotten back, he was smiling._

_‘Good lad.’ Flint said and followed him out the kitchen._

*********

The light through the porthole dimmed and darkened and the daylight faded away to a sky that turned from pink and gold to a deep clear blue sprinkled with stars.

Ross was wrecked. He’d never been as abused as he had been that day. Jim had been relentless and Ross had been fucked repeatedly since he’d been tied up and left to lie on the bed. He could hardly even move and every muscle ached from being manhandled. Then he’d been turned over and face fucked, then left to smell the bodily fluids drying on his skin and matted in his hair, and the insides of his thighs were tacky with lube and semen. His skin was mottle with small bruises from the punishing grip of Jim’s hands and there were bite marks on his backside and shoulders. He was, to put it bluntly, a mess.

He was also delirious with happiness.

The door opened and Ross braced himself for another onslaught. To his surprise, the hand that ran up the back of his left leg was gentle. It was not unwelcome.

‘Jesus, you’re in a fucking state.’ Jim’s voice was beyond smug. ‘Whore.’

‘Fuck off.’ Ross replied, barely able to get the words out. ‘If you’re just going to make snarky comments, then shut the fuck up and stick it back in.’

‘Again?’ Jim laughed. Ross could just picture him standing and looking down at him with amusement in his blue-green eyes. ‘Don’t you think you’ve had enough?’

‘No.’ Ross said. He spread his legs as best he could in his current condition. ‘Again.’

‘Fine, but when you can’t walk tomorrow, don’t blame me.’ Jim’s weight made the bed dip. He was kneeling between Ross’ legs and Ross shivered in anticipation. He didn’t expect Jim to lie down next to him. He was bright-eyed and messy-haired, his shirt off and a deep tan showing up on his chest and shoulders. He propped himself up on one elbow and stroked Ross’ sticky hair out of his face. ‘You have cum in your hair.’

‘Because you came on my face.’ Ross pointed out. ‘Your mess, not mine.’ He rolled to the side and they both glanced down at the white smears on the duvet cover. ‘That’s mine.’

‘Poor baby.’ Jim was smiling. His fingers were toying with Ross’ left nipple. ‘I haven’t taken very good care of you.’ He pushed Ross onto his back and wriggled down low enough to flick it with his tongue. Even in his overused state, Ross couldn’t stop himself from whining. Every inch of him was so horribly sensitive. Jim gave him a heated look and then started sucking just hard enough to make Ross squirm. Ross let his had fall back against the bed, closing his eyes and breathing out. When he inhaled again it was shaky and he lay and let the magic of Jim’s tongue wake his body up again. Jim kept going, switching from one side to the other, light licks and bites switching out the pace and making Ross hard. Jim played his body no nobody else had in his life before and Ross was helpless to stop the reaction it elicited.

He lay there, moaning shamelessly as Jim’s mouth ascended, moving up his chest to his neck. Jim bit at his neck and Ross strained against the rope around his wrists. He was getting hard quickly, his body still amazingly able to respond even in its abused state. Jim gripped his hair in one hand, holding him still enough to kiss him, surprisingly gentle. He traced Ross’ lower lip with his tongue before licking into Ross’ mouth. Ross let him in, completely submissive by this point. He shivered as their tongues tangled, every touch setting him right back where he had been before.

Ross was getting desperate. He’d been subjected to the worst kind of torture all day, and instead of sating him the brutal fucking had only served to make him more aroused. Ross had gotten off from Jim nailing his prostate mercilessly, or rubbing himself against the bed and the single hand job had been the highlight of his day so far. He twisted so he could thrust against Jim’s clothed thigh and got a chuckle in response.

‘Slut.’ Jim reached down and Ross felt Jim’s hand on him. He half expected Jim to jerk him off again but then Jim’s kisses started heading south and Ross closed his eyes as the soothing touches relaxed him to the point of incoherence. He felt Jim’s tongue flick along the line of hair from his navel to his cock, and then Jim’s hand was holding him steady as he ran his tongue from the base to the head, taking time to drag over the top in a long flat lick. He moaned and Jim laughed softly and then Ross was enveloped in the warmth of Jim’s mouth. The startling intimacy of the touch after what had been hours of deprivation was enough to make Ross want to cry with how pleasurable it was and he arched up into Jim’s willing mouth.

Jim pulled off and then took his time, running the tip of his tongue around and over the head of Ross’ cock. Ross watched him, his chest heaving as he panted and Jim looked up at him. He lowered his head back down and sucked gently and Ross felt the fire rushing through him as Jim brought him to the edge and almost ready to tip over, then tightened his grip on Ross until it subsided.

He did it again and again, sliding one finger inside Ross as he did, pressing around the edges of his prostate so softly that the next rise up was effortless. Ross felt like his entire body was in a transcendent state as he let go and gave himself over to Jim, until he came so hard that everything when white and quiet. Jim didn’t let go, taking him through the other side and only pulling off when Ross’ desperate cries died away. He sat up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and Ross looked at him through barely open eyes.

‘What about you?’ he managed to ask and Jim smiled. He moved to kneel over Ross’, his hand on his own cock and started moving it. Ross watched as he arched back, his face a picture of bliss as he came across Ross’ stomach after a surprisingly short time. When he stope shaking he gave Ross a sheepish smile.

‘Sorry.’ he said. ‘I guess you kind of got to me today.’

‘Told you it was a good idea.’ Ross managed a weak laugh as Jim leaned forward and rubbed his cum into Ross’ skin. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Making you smell like me.’ Jim replied. ‘So everyone will know who your arse belongs to.’

‘Like there was any question.’ Ross said. He tried to stretch and grimaced. ‘Okay, I’m done. My wrists hurt.’

‘Turn.’ Jim said and he helped Ross onto his side. There was a tug and the rope loosened and then Ross’ hands were free. He lay there and let Jim massage the rope marks. ‘Why don’t you go get cleaned up. You smell like a whorehouse.’ His voice was full of adoration and it made Ross want to purr like a happy kitten.

‘Only if you help me up.’ he said. ‘I don’t even know if I can walk right now.’

Thankfully Ross made it onto his feet with Jim’s help and then stumbled off to the head for a longer than normal shower. He was a little sad to wash Jim’s smell off of him, but once he got out he felt nothing short of amazing. He dried himself off slowly, and then ventured out after pulling on a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He was floored by the smell.

Ross had few childhood memories worth recollecting, but the one he did have was being fed tomato soup and cheese on toast as a child by the family housekeeper, Ellen. She had died when Ross was seventeen, but she’d been the closest thing he’d had to a real family figure. He’d told Jim that he’d honestly loved her more than anyone in his actual family until he’d gone to live with Mathilde. And now, as he walked over to where Jim stood at the stove, the smell of tinned tomato soup brought a warm rush of nostalgia.

‘Sit.’ Jim instructed and Ross went to the table and sat down. Jim brought over a bowl of soup and a plate holding two slices of toast covered in melted cheese that he’d sprinkled with cayenne pepper just the way Ross liked it. Ross took it with both hands and then ate like he’d been starved for weeks. The whole time Jim watched him with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, dimples flickering in and out of sight. When Ross was finished he yawned as the adrenaline and endorphins of the day’s activities combined started to wear off and the crash loomed. Jim looked at him and smiled properly this time. He got up to clear the table then came back and kissed Ross softly on his bruised mouth.

‘Go get into bed.’ he said. Ross returned the smile and got up to pad into the cabin. He saw that the soiled bed linen was gone and replaced with clean sheets and duvet cover and climbed in, snuggling down gratefully. By the time Jim came in to check on him, he was out. Jim gave him one last glance and then pulled the cabin door closed and left Ross to sleep.

He went out on deck and took his place at the wheel. It was at least another couple of hours before they got to the southern coast of Grand Exuma, and he would need to be alert to take them down to the cay. There would be plenty of time to sleep off the day’s excesses once he got there.

As Jim stood and watched the dark water, his thoughts drifted back to the thing had that been playing out in the back of his head all day, the very pleasant distraction Ross had provided notwithstanding.

*********

_Jim refused to go back to Miami by seaplane, and instead Flint dropped him off at the airport after bringing him on the yacht. He and John had not left things well, Jim’s continued silence being more than enough to indicate his displeasure at Coral’s presence._

_Now he stood at the departure gate, kissing Andres goodbye. They ignored the gapes of passer-bys, who were either appalled or shocked at the sight of two teenage boys tangled up in each other. Flint stood by, glaring at anyone who dared to look at the young men askance._

_‘It’s only four months.’ Andres said in English, his hands on Jim’s neck. ‘I’ll miss you mi amor.’ Jim nodded and then picked up his bag. He looked at Flint who looked back, his face serious._

_‘You know what to do?’ he asked._

_‘Don’t worry.’ Jim replied. ‘I know just what to do.’_


	8. Little Hog Cay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to the awesome Farriage25 for the beta read to point out my glaring grammatical errors :D

Ross slept like the dead and woke up around midday, alone in the bed and with sunlight streaming in from outside. He turned and reached for his watch which was on one of the overhead shelves, and checked the time then stretched and contemplated what his next course of action should be. From what he could tell, Jim was nowhere in the vicinity, so he eventually rolled out of bed and made himself semi-presentable before leaving the cabin and sticking his head out of the hatch.

Jim’s voice floated back to him, and Ross climbed the steps and walked towards the bow. He saw that they were tied up at a rough stone jetty, with another two boats tied up on the port side. The low stone wall ran along the starboard side of the yacht and the boat to their immediate left was a motor launch. Beyond that was another yacht, although this one was considerably larger than Jim’s.

Ross could now see and hear Jim on the other side of the mast, talking to someone at the bow. He walked along the rail and caught sight of him. Jim’s unbrushed hair was ruffled by the breeze and he looked completely relaxed standing there barefoot, the contrast with his blond hair and quickly darkening tan making Ross feel positively giddy as he looked at him. He heard Ross approaching and turned to smile at him, one arm extended towards him.

‘Here’s my beautiful boy now.’ he said, and Ross automatically moved into the hold, Jim’s arm around his waist and his hand firmly placed on Ross’ backside where he liked to put it. Ross put his own arm around Jim’s shoulders and then looked down at who Jim was talking to. Even as he did so, he suddenly became aware of where they obviously were and who the person was and felt the colour start to rush into his face at the thought that he really wasn’t dressed for introductions or polite company. The charcoal and black striped kikoi he was wearing revealed far more than it concealed, like the fact that he was stark naked under it. Jim held onto him, sensing the sudden tension and refusing to let him go.

‘Well, would you look at that,’ the owner of the other voice said. ‘He actually does exist.’ Ross was a little surprised. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but the voice was unmistakeably British. It was rough and clipped, very distinctly working class which was in complete contrast with his and Jim’s public school accents. He looked at the man that was Jim’s adopted father and got his first impression of John.

Ross' immediate thought was that, while James Hawkins and John Silver didn’t share any biological connection, there was enough there for them to pass as father and son. There were differences, of course. For one, John’s eyes were a completely different blue - the deep stormy grey-blue of the North Sea, not the crystalline Caribbean hue of Jim’s eyes. He was also quite a bit taller, probably just over six foot by Ross’ reckoning. His short cropped hair and beard were light brown and starting to grey, his skin almost mahogany it was so darkly tanned. There were lines around his eyes and across his forehead and he was dressed identically to Jim apart from the fact that his t-shirt was red. He appeared to have the same affectation for ethnic bracelets, worn on his left wrist next to a stainless steel diver’s watch which was a twin to Jim’s. And like Jim, he wasn’t given to bulk, being trim and compactly formed with the same sense of quiet strength. It was in the look that he directed at Ross which was the giveaway, the same cool appraisal that Jim used on people he didn’t know. And gave nothing away. That scrutiny was now being directed at Ross. He tried to subtly pull away but Jim’s hold on him tightened even further and there was a flicker of dimples which told Ross that Jim knew exactly what he was thinking.

‘Tell me, lad.’ John said to Jim. ‘Does he always go around half naked?’ His voice was serious but Ross could pick up the hint of amusement. Jim’s next words did nothing to put him at ease either.

‘Only when I’ve spent the best part of a day fucking him into incoherence.’ he replied and now Ross’ face felt like it was quite possibly the same shade of red as John’s t-shirt. ‘He’s been sleeping it off.’ Ross felt an insane desire to throw himself into the water and swim for the mainland. Then John threw his head back and barked a laugh.

‘Well, get your things together and come over to the house when you’re both decent.’ he said, and now his blue eyes were twinkling madly. He started to walk away from the yacht and then stopped and turned back. ‘And tell Ross to watch out for Bob. He’s been a bit out of sorts for the last couple of days. I think he ate someone that didn’t agree with him.’ Jim laughed in reply and looked at the bemused expression on Ross’ face, his dimples now out in full force.

‘Will do.’ he said. They stood and watched John walk off the jetty, still chuckling. Once he was safely out of earshot, Ross tried to twist out of Jim’s iron grip and glare at him. He was completely unsuccessful.

‘You utter bastard.’ he hissed. ‘Why the fuck did you tell him about yesterday?’

‘Because he’d just asked me why we were here with no supplies and why we didn’t stop off to do our customs check.’ Jim replied. ‘I had to tell him that I had better things to do. Namely you.’

‘Great.’ Ross muttered. ‘He probably thinks I’m some sort of nymphomaniac now.’

‘He thinks nothing of the sort.’ Jim said. He now had his nose in the crook of Ross’ neck. ‘Now go get your gorgeous arse dressed so we can go have lunch and get settled in. I’m fucking starving and I need to sleep.’ He kissed Ross’ protests quiet and then let him go. ‘Chop chop.’ Ross snorted and walked towards the hatch. Halfway there something occurred to him and he stopped and called back to Jim.

‘Jim?’ he asked. ‘Who’s Bob exactly? And what the fuck did he mean by him eating someone?’ His answer was another laugh and no answer.

*********

_Ten years previously._

_Jim and John stood on the beach and stared in amazement at what lay at their feet._

_‘Well now.’ John was frowning. ‘What the fuck do we do with it?’_

_‘I’m fucked if I know.’ Jim had his hands on his hips in unconscious imitation of the way John was also standing. ‘Where did it even come from?’_

_‘Must have been swept in.’ John said, scratching his chin. They had had no power for a few days while they had hunkered down and he and Jim were both bristly. ‘We could chase it off but it looks half starved.’_

_‘How can you tell?’ Jim got down on his haunches and received a beady eyed stare. ‘It looks like a juvenile.’_

_‘It’s probably hungry.’ John said and Jim looked up at him._

_‘I sincerely hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.’ he said, but he knew it was too late. John already had his thinking face on._

_‘Could be useful.’ he said. He looked back at the house. ‘And the freezer’s been out so we could give him all the stuff from there before it spoils properly.’_

_‘Jesus Christ.’ Jim said, getting up. ‘You are serious about keeping it.’ He shook his head. ‘You’ve officially lost it, old man.’_

_‘You don’t see the bigger picture.’ John said, starting to walk back to the house. ‘He’s going to come in handy, just you wait and see.’_

*********

After getting dressed and packing his things up, Ross came out on deck. He was properly dressed now and he went to the side of the yacht and chucked his bag at Jim who was already on the jetty. Ross jumped down and the looked at what lay before him. To the left was a narrow stone bridge that led away into a stand of thick vegetation. To the right was a long white beach with a white house on the promontory behind it, secluded by trees.

They walked along the pathway and the white dust from the coral sand made everything seem bleached out. The green was a startling contrast and when Ross looked up the sky was almost impossibly blue. It was very hard to believe that Christmas was in five days.

‘It’s so beautiful.’ he said and Jim smiled.

‘It is.’ he replied. ‘I do love it here but it’s so fucking hot I can’t bear it a lot of the time. I like hurricane season. Then it’s cooler but of course there’s the hurricanes.’

‘Of course.’ Ross said, giving him a look of disbelief. ‘Fucking hell, Jim.’

‘It’s not as bad as it sounds.’ Jim said. ‘The house is actually about six metres above sea level so it’s never been flooded. The base is coral and limestone and it’s very stable. John put in storm shutters and we’ve ridden out a few. It does usually knock the power out because the lines get blown down, but we have a lot of contingency plans.’ He laughed at the appalled look on Ross’ face. ‘Don’t worry, baby. There will be no hurricanes while you’re here.’

They got to the main stretch of beach and Ross followed Jim onto the sand, luxuriating in the powdery softness under his bare feet. Unlike Jim, whose feet seemed to have been toughened to cast iron invulnerability by years of wandering around with no shoes on, Ross found this experience quite novel. He was so enamoured by having sandy feet that he completely missed the large object lying in their path until they were almost on top of it. When he finally noticed it he at first thought he was seeing things and stopped to stare. As the reality of what they were looking at sank in, his eyes widened and he almost jumped into Jim’s arms in fright.

‘What the fucking fuck is that?!?’ he demanded, darting behind Jim who seemed completely unfazed by what was going on.

‘That,’ Jim said, smiling wickedly. ‘is Bob.’

*********

_‘You two have lost it.’ Flint was looking at the creature floating in the lagoon just off the beach._

_‘Si.’ Andres was almost doubled over in laughter. ‘You two are loco. Like fucked in the head.’_

_‘It was his idea.’ Jim pointed out. ‘I had fuck all to do with this.’ He looked at John, who had his arms folded and a stubborn look on his face._

_‘He’s harmless.’ he replied. ‘Wouldn’t hurt a fly.’_

_‘I don’t think they eat flies, mate.’ Flint said._

*********

‘It’s a crocodile.’ Ross said. He and Jim were now almost at the house after Ross had pretty much sprinted off the beach.

‘He’s very tame.’ Jim was laughing. ‘Honestly, he eats out of your hand and everything.’

‘Jim. It’s a fucking CROCODILE. In what bloody universe is that even remotely something that would be okay to have hanging around the house?’ Ross sounded offended that Jim would even consider the possibility.

‘Bob’s cool.’ Jim said. He was holding Ross’ hand and pulled him in next to him. ‘You won’t even notice he’s here. And he’s really good at getting rid of unwanted visitors.’ There was something in the way that Jim said that which made Ross’ ears prick up.

‘Jim?’ he said. Jim grinned and pulled him along. They got to the stairs to the house and went up. Once inside the open French doors, Ross saw two large rooms that went off to each side of a central corridor. The one on the right was a living room and the one on the left a kitchen. They were fitted out with heavy teak furniture and done in light shades. Jim led him past them and to another doorway the back of the house and into a large square room. The windows opened out onto the sea and the breeze coming in from outside was cool and salty. There was a simple wooden bed with a mosquito net over it, two bedside tables and a desk to one side of the pair of French doors. Jim went and opened them and the light curtains billowed as the breeze caught them. He put his bag down on the bed and Jim went to a door on the other side of the bed, opening it to reveal the bathroom.

‘I’m going to go talk to John quickly.’ He said. ‘You get settled in.’ He walked back, stopping long enough to give Ross a quick kiss and then went out of the room. Ross was left to look around. As he did, small details started to jump out at him.  
There was a wooden box on the desk and when he looked inside it, Ross saw it was full of small things, coins and a couple of penknives and shells. There was a silver framed picture of Jim and John on the desk next to it. They were tanned and shirtless and had their arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling at the camera. There was a faded leather bound journal to one side and when Ross opened the journal he saw a series of pictures drawn in a fine hand. They were of shells and flowers and Bob. He often forgot that Jim was a trained artist because he never drew or painted at home. Then he noticed the easel in the corner next to the bed and wondered if Jim had any paintings in the house. There were none in the apartment, although Jim did have a cupboard full of art supplies. Ross looked over his shoulder. He knew how private Jim was about some things but he was curious and he picked the journal up and kept flipping through the pages, delighting in the pictures. He was almost at the end when something fell out and drifted to the floor. Ross put the journal down and bent over to pick up the object. It turned out to be a photograph. He saw something written in Spanish on the back and turned it over. The image made him stop what he was doing and simply stare at it.

He’d never pictured Jim as a teenager. He had such a sense of being older than he was that it was a surprise for Ross to see it in front of him. In the picture Jim looked impossibly young. His blond hair was bright and almost bordering on white it was so bleached from the sun. He was sitting on the step of a timber building with his head back, half looking over his shoulder to the boy sitting behind him. That was what actually drew Ross’ attention. He honed in on the handsome face, the thick dark brown hair and the look of adoration that Jim was directing at him. He had one arm around Jim’s chest in a universal sign of possession and affection. Ross felt his stomach lurch. He knew that Jim had never been some blushing virgin, but he had also taken for granted that Jim had not been with anyone that made him feel the way Ross did. And yet he was looking at what clearly seemed to be love.

He also couldn’t help but notice that he bore a strong resemblance to the boy in the photograph.

‘Ross?’ Jim’s voice came down the corridor and Ross scrambled to put the photograph back into the journal and place it back on the desk. He got to the side of the bed and made it look like he was busy unpacking when Jim walked in the room.

‘Come on, lunch is ready. You can do this later.’ he said and held out a hand.

‘Okay.’ Ross dropped the shirt he was holding and followed him out. Jim led him through the living room and out onto the verandah, then down a wooden walkway towards the beach. When they got there he saw that there was a wooden table which was set for lunch. John was already there, laying out cutlery. He smiled at them and then looked towards the beach. Jim followed his gaze and his face lit up.

‘He’s here?’ he asked and John nodded.

‘Taking my own advice.’ he said cryptically and Jim’s expression softened.

‘Good.’ he said. ‘You’ve been alone too long.’ They eyes met and Ross felt like he was definitely missing out on something. Then Jim gave him a smile.

‘I’ll be right back.’ he said and then hopped off the deck and headed down to where Ross could see another man on the beach. That left Ross alone with John and he turned to find himself the subject of that appraising look once more.

‘So, Ross.’ he said with a smile that reminded Ross of a friendly shark. ‘Tell me about you.’

*********

Jim got to the man on the beach and went to stand next to him. He noted the small changes, new lines around the dark grey eyes and the silver that streaked the dark auburn hair.

‘Hey.’ he said and Flint turned to look at him.

‘Hey yourself.’ he said. ‘You good?’

‘Can’t complain.’ Jim replied. ‘You?’

‘Not bad.’ Flint replied. They stood and looked at the sea and then Flint took a deep breath. ‘John says he looks like him.’

‘He does a bit.’ Jim replied. ‘You going to come meet him?’

‘In a few minutes.’ Flint said. ‘Just working myself up to it.’ He gave Jim a sidelong look. ‘You look happy.’

‘I am happy.’ Jim replied. ‘I love this one. A lot.’

‘I’m glad.’ Flint said. ‘You need to love someone. It makes you more human.’ Jim huffed a soft laugh. Flint had always seen right through him and not given a damn.

‘Yeah, I suppose it does.’ he said. ‘Or at least as human as I’m capable of being.’ He shifted in the sand. ‘He’s like me, Flint. In the important ways.’

‘Really?’ The amount of concern in Flint’s voice made it seem like Jim had just told him that Ross liked milk in his tea. ‘Are you boys careful.’

‘Him not so much. It’s actually kind of how we met. The unofficial version at least. Most people would balk if you told them you met the love of your life while he was trying very unsuccessfully to kill a man in a storm drain.’ Jim blinked against the sun as he looked up. ‘I’m teaching him what I know and he’s learning quickly. He’s just never been in a position where he’s had someone to show him the way.’ He turned and caught Flint’s smile. ‘What?’

‘You just called him the love of your life.’ Flint replied. ‘It’s amusing to me.’

‘Fuck off.’ Jim said easily. He turned back and could just make out the prehistoric ridges of Bob’s back as he glided through the lagoon water. There was a flicker of fear inside him, something Jim hated more than anything in the world. ‘I need to make sure nothing happens to him.’ He left the unspoken words hang between them.

‘It was my fault.’ Flint said, his voice shaking just a tiny bit. ‘Never yours. You were very far away and there was nothing you could have done.’ He looked at Jim and the regret on his face was a tangible as the sand beneath Jim’s feet. ‘I often wonder if you would have turned out the way you did if that had never happened. If you would have been able to keep a lid on it, learn to control it.’

‘Who knows?’ Jim said. He stuck his hands in his pockets. ‘I don’t think so. It’s always been bigger than me. And maybe Andres would have left when he knew how bad it was.’ He shrugged.

‘You know that’s the first time I’ve heard you say his name in over eight years.’ Flint said. There was pain in his voice which reminded Jim that he hadn’t been the only one who’d loved. They had both been devastated by what had happened, their hearts ripped out and cut into pieces and thrown into the ocean.

‘I’m glad you’re here.’ he said. ‘He’s always needed you. He’s just been a crotchety stubborn old bastard about it. Like you.’

‘Your father has never been an easy man to love.’ Flint said. ‘But then, neither have I.’ He moved and started heading back towards the deck. Jim waited a few moments, taking in the sea and the glaring light that made it hard to see further than the water’s edge before following him.


	9. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Ross have a talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem Jim uses is by Jose Asuncion Silva and is called Nocturno.

_Nine Years Previously_

_‘Zurich?’ Jim asked. ‘Why Zurich?’_

_‘Why not?’ John asked. They were in the kitchen and he handed over a glass of juice. ‘But what happened with Carlos and Ricky means I’ll be in New York to talk to Tony when I’m supposed to be there. I was wondering if you could go.’_

_‘But I’m supposed to be running that shipment with Andres.’ Jim said. He drank and set the glass down. ‘Can’t it wait a week or so?’_

_‘No, it can’t.’ John said. ‘I need someone to go to Zurich and I only trust you to do it.’ He looked at Jim. ‘Please.’ Jim sighed and finished his juice._

_‘Fine.’ he said. ‘But then I get a week off.’_

_‘Consider it done.’ John grinned._

_‘And so does he.’ Jim added. ‘And you fuck off and leave us alone. Go visit Diego and Stef.’_

_‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth.’ John laughed. ‘All right. You and Andres can play castaway for a week and fuck all over the damn island if you so choose.’_

_‘Good.’ Jim said, completely smug at having got his own way. ‘When do you want me to leave?’_

_‘Tomorrow. You’ll be there for three weeks.’ John said. ‘I’ve called Mickey and he’s got your ticket ready. I’ll run you up to Grand Exuma tomorrow morning. That means you get to say goodbye to Andres properly when he gets here this afternoon.’ There was a small smile on his face._

_‘Damn straight I do.’ Jim replied and refilled his glass._

**********

‘An actor?’ John said and Ross nodded. ‘My my.’

‘Are you surprised or disapproving?’ Ross asked, not afraid to sound deliberately insolent. He‘d discovered that John Silver looked like a hardened criminal but was actually a big teddy bear, although he was under no illusions as to what he was clearly capable of. Ross had discovered that the cold ruthlessness that he saw in Jim when he was in predator mode came directly from the man that was sitting next to him and constantly refilling his wine glass. He may have seemed affable and friendly on the surface, but there were a couple of moments when Ross had caught that calculating gleam in his blue-grey eyes that he was used to seeing in his beloved’s. He was also well aware that the constant stream of white wine that accompanied lunch and had continued late into the afternoon was strategically designed to get him to lose his inhibitions and talk freely. Ross could spot a hustle from twenty miles away, having spent his entire life perpetuating them himself. Jim was less equipped to hide what he was which was why he had perfected his public persona, an inoffensive charming and sociable man whose personal habits an lifestyle were simple yet elegant and made him the last person anyone would suspect. John on the other hand carried his danger just below the surface, much like Ross did, and this had endeared the man to him.

‘Neither.’ John said easily. ‘It’s a bit of a cliché though, isn’t it?’ His eyes twinkled. ‘Boy goes to New York in search of fame and fortune.’

‘Well, that’s your first mistake.’ Ross said. He shook a cigarette out of the pack in front of him and offered one to Flint, who he’d discovered was a social smoker. ‘I’m far too lazy to actually want to be that successful. I’m very happy being a headliner in theatres were our audience consists of five people and a stray cat that wandered in.’ Flint snorted with laughter and then coughed on the smoke he’d just inhaled.

‘Told you he was funny.’ Jim said and Ross felt a warm glow at the approval. ‘Don’t listen to him though. Under that practised don’t give a fuck attitude is a very ambitious person.’ He gave Ross a smile. ‘When he wants something he usually gets it.’

‘Is that what happened with you two?’ John asked, his voice casual.

‘Actually the first time we met I stole his date.’ Ross said. ‘So the answer is yes, in a manner of speaking.’

‘You were dating?’ John looked at Jim with a raised eyebrow.

‘Nothing serious.’ Jim replied. ‘He didn’t last long.’ There was a mischievous note in his voice. Unfortunately, Ross had just taken a sip of wine, but those words shocked him into choking on it. He started coughing frantically and Jim smiled angelically and thumped him on the back until he recovered. Ross locked eyes with him and gave him a look that told Jim he would pay for that later.

‘Just as well, it would seem.’ John said. ‘You two make a good match.’ He smiled at Ross. ‘And well done to you. It’s been a long time since someone’s turned Jim’s head. You must be special.’

‘He is.’ Jim said, and there was a hint of steel underneath which surprised Ross. There was a beat of silence.

‘It’s getting chilly.’ Flint said. ‘Shall we move it inside?’

**********

_Andres’ skin tasted of salt under his mouth and Jim closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the soft breaths Andres was taking. Every thrust inside him was a surge of heat and light and love that carried him up and up until all Jim could feel was the two of them._

_‘Mi amor.’ Andres’ voice was just above a whisper. ‘Te amo, Jaime.’ He buried his face in Jim’s neck and his breath scorched Jim’s skin. Their movements got more urgent, faster and deeper until it felt like Jim was flying. He sank his fingers into Andres’ dark hair and let go._

***********

‘Jim?’ John’s voice broke through his thoughts and Jim came back into himself to see them all looking at him. They were now sitting on the terrace of the house, a gas heater keeping the chill at bay but still outside so Ross could smoke. The sun had gone down and John had brought out food which they were steadily snacking through.

‘Sorry.’ he said.

‘You were a million miles away.’ Flint said. ‘I was just asking Ross if you two wanted a ride up to George Town tomorrow. You can do your customs check and we can have lunch, see a bit of the local colour.’

‘Sounds fine.’ Jim replied and pretended that he didn’t see the lightning quick look of concern flash across Ross’ face. The conversation had slowed the more they had been drinking. He hadn’t meant to fall into old memories, but being back at the cay with both John and Flint in attendance was dredging things up. But the amazing thing was that the thoughts were not the heart rending recollections that he’d sunk deep inside him and refused to even look at since he’d packed his bags and left.

He’d been so careful to avoid thinking about that period of his life. But for the very first time he was thinking about Andres and it actually didn’t hurt and the more he thought about it the more he realised that it was because there was a man sitting opposite him that he loved. And it was every bit as much as the crazy head-over-heels love he’d had for Andres, but with the added knowledge that he’d found someone who was like him and who understood and loved everything he was back.

Jim leaned his smile hidden by his hand and watched as Ross easily deflected all of John’s pointed questions and barely there barbs. It was actually very funny. He was extremely amused by the deft way his boyfriend was handling his adopted father. John was used to taking people in and breaking down their defences but he hadn’t counted on Ross being as big a bullshitter as he was.

‘So I have a question.’ Ross said, emptying a handful of peanuts into his mouth and chewing noisily. ‘I have never ever seen any art to speak of that Jim’s produced. Does he ever actually paint when he’s not at work.’ That got a shared look and then Flint stood up.

‘Come with me.’ he said. Jim frowned.

‘What?’ he asked looking at John pointedly. ‘How do you have art?’

‘Because you left a shitload behind in the cabana and when Bertha came in we decided to move it up here so it didn’t get destroyed.’ John said. He waved Flint and Ross off. ‘Show him everything. You, sit.’ This was directed at Jim who was starting to get up. He looked at John almost pleadingly and then sat back down with a huff when John gave him a steely look. That made Ross snicker. He was so used to Jim being the dominant force in their relationship that seeing Jim bow to someone else’s authority was very novel.

He followed Flint inside and Jim waited until he couldn’t hear their movements before he kicked his adopted father under the table, making John exclaim and grab at his shin.

‘Fuck.’ he said. ‘Warn me.’

‘That would defeat the point.’ Jim hissed. ‘You kept them? What exactly have you got?’

*********

Flint led Ross to the back of the house. He’d discovered that the building was a little chaotically laid out, but Jim said that it had been added to several times by the previous owner who’d been eccentric to say the least. They got to the very last section and Flint opened a door into a room. He gestured for Ross to walk through and waited until he had also inside before putting the light on.

Ross took in the walls, so crammed full there was no space to speak of, and gasped. Canvasses were also stacked against the wall.

It was the sea, but in so many versions that Ross was dazzled. Some were all vibrant Caribbean sunset colours, others were exquisite shading of grey and green and yet more were simple washes of white and blue and sand. There were all beautiful and Ross stepped forward to appreciate the brushstrokes.

‘He’s good.’ He said and Flint smiled.

‘He’s very good. He’s had a couple of exhibitions at the Royal Academy. He never showed here though and he hasn’t shown since he moved to New York. To be honest John and I thought he’d stopped altogether, but we found a couple of new ones hidden away with this lot.’

‘He’s prolific then?’ Ross asked, moving from painting to painting. He leaned right in, taking in the colours and the distinctive patterns he was starting to pick up. Unlike everything he did in lie, Jim’s style was bold and assertive. It excited Ross to see it, a little glimpse of what he saw in the tunnels when Jim took his human face off and let the monster run free.

‘He used to be.’ Flint said. ‘Like I said, he hasn’t had a showing since he moved to New York. That was pretty much the last time he painted for himself as far as we know. He doesn’t paint at home?’

‘Never seen him.’ Ross replied. He looked back at Flint. ‘Why’d he stop?’ He was surprised to see Flint’s expression close own, but it was almost a blink and miss it moment before he shrugged and his normal sardonic smile was back in place.  
‘Life gets I the way sometimes.’ he said.

*********

‘It’s safe. He’s not in there.’ John said. ‘None of the ones of him are.’

‘What did you do with them?’ Jim asked, not looking at him.

‘I put them back in the cabana.’ John replied. ‘They’re probably not in great shape, but given your current skills I think that any environmental damage could probably be reversed.’ He sighed and emptied the current bottle into his and Jim’s glasses. ‘Flint couldn’t look at them. I think in a lot of ways he’s always been more affected than you ever were. You just compartmentalised and that was that.’ He looked at Jim. ‘I know what it did to you. I know how you reconciled things. I’ve never pretended that I was concerned by it because I’ve always thought that we reap what we sow in this life. My only worry was that you would go so far down that path that you would eventually destroy yourself.’

‘But I didn’t.’ Jim said. ‘I haven’t been caught, and no-one knows what I do.’ He sighed. ‘You, Flint and Ross are the only ones I’ve ever shown that too.’

‘And Ross can be trusted?’ John asked.

‘I trust him with my life.’ Jim said. ‘I trust him more than I trust you. He understands in a way you will never be able to.’

‘I worry.’ John said. ‘I worry that if this fucks up, it’ll break you worse than the last time and that will destroy everything you’ve built. What you did when Andres was taken frightened me. One of things that I have always struggled with is what you were driven to do and what you’ve done in subsequent years.’

‘No need.’ Jim said. ‘If anything ever happened to him, I’d take care of it before it got to that stage.’

‘Don’t get me wrong.’ John said. ‘I told you then that I would never judge you for anything you’d done. And I hold to that.’ He leaned over and put his hand at the back of Jim’s neck, holding him in place. ‘You’re my son and I love you.’ Jim gave him a half smile.

‘I love you too.’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t said it enough.’

‘What makes you say that?’ John was smiling. ‘This new boy of yours making you sentimental?’

‘Fuck you, old man.’ Jim laughed.

*********

_‘So I’ll see you in three weeks.’ Andres said. He was standing with Flint on the jetty, hands in his pockets. Jim laughed and went to throw his bag into the Whaler then came back and kissed his face off, completely ignoring the snorts coming from the two observers. Andres smiled against his mouth and pulled him in close._

_‘You want anything from Switzerland?’ Jim asked when they separated._

_‘My mother loves them stupid cuckoo clocks.’ Andres grinned. ‘You could bring her one of those.’_

_‘Fine.’ Jim said. ‘Anything else?’_

_‘No.’ Andres replied. ‘I just want your cute ass to come back.’ His English had improved enormously in the three years since he’d first started working for Flint, but he’d picked up an awful number of Richie-isms. ‘Then I’m going to fuck it stupid for a whole fucking week.’ Jim laughed, smiling broadly at him._

_‘Deal.’ he said. He grabbed Andres by the t-shirt and hauled him back in one more time. The kiss was frenetic and messy. ‘Te amo, querido.’_

_‘Love you too.’ Andres stepped back as Flint walked down from the boat. ‘Now get the fuck out of here before I stop you from going.’_

_When Jim looked back, he was standing on the end of the quay with his hand raised. Jim couldn’t see his face, but he saw the sun glint off the crucifix on his chest. Andres had tried to buy him one many times, but Jim had always refused, saying he didn’t believe in God._

_It was the last time he saw him alive._

*********

After dinner, or what had passed for dinner, was cleared away Jim took Ross’ hand. Flint and John were inside, having excused themselves to go to bed.

‘Come on.’ he said. ‘Let’s take a walk.’

‘Won’t Bob be out there?’ Ross looked into the dark.

‘It’ll be fine.’ Jim said. ‘He’s not going to hurt you.’

‘All right.’ Ross still didn’t look convinced but he allowed Jim to tug him along.

They walked down from the terrace and into the garden, and Ross felt a tiny tug of trepidation. Jim seemed so calm, but Ross was pretty could at reading his body language now. He knew that this wasn’t just some romantic traipse through the moonlit gardens. Jim had the kind of energy that he got when he was on a mission to do something. They got to the beach and walked along the waterline.

‘Where are we going?’ he asked and Jim sighed softly.

‘I need to show you something.’ he said. Ross stopped walking.

‘What?’ he asked. Jim waited a moment then stepped up to him. He put his hand to Ross’ face.

‘I want to show you why I left.’ he said and Ross frowned. Then he decided to jump in with both feet.

‘Does it have to do with the guy in the photo?’ he asked. Now it was Jim’s turn to frown.

‘What photo?’ he asked.

‘The one in your sketchbook.’ Ross said. ‘I was poking around this afternoon while you were talking to John. You know what I’m like.’ That made Jim smile.

‘A nosy bastard?’ he asked. ‘I didn’t realise there was one in there.’

‘It was you and someone else.’ Ross said. He was chewing on his thumbnail, a sure sign he was nervous. He watched as the smile disappeared from Jim’s face. The look it was replaced with was not one he’d ever seen before.

It was sad.

‘Did he have dark hair?’ Jim asked and Ross nodded.

‘I kind of look like him.’ he said. ‘I thought you said you didn’t go for guys like me.’ He tried to make it sound light, keep the insecurity out of it.

‘You don’t look like him.’ Jim said softly. ‘He looked like you.’ He looked out at the water. ‘It was a conscious thing, Ross. I didn’t pick people who looked like that because of what happened. But when I met you, I just couldn’t leave you alone. That alone will tell you how much of an impression you made on me.’ He looked at Ross. ‘I came after you, stalked the fuck put of you and chased you until you gave in not because you looked like him, but in spite of the fact that you did.’

‘What happened that was so bad?’ Ross asked. ‘Everyone has shitty break ups.’

‘We didn’t break up.’ Jim said. ‘He died.’ That took the wind right out of Ross’ sails.

‘Shit.’ he said. ‘Fuck, I’m sorry I didn’t…’

‘It’s fine, Ross.’ Jim replied. ‘Actually, this is the first time it’s been okay.’ He took Ross’ hand again. ‘But if I’m going to tell you, it’s not going to be here. Come on.’

************

_The call came two weeks into Zurich._

_Jim wasn’t quite sure he liked Switzerland. On one hand it was spotlessly clean and people were the kind of reserved that he really appreciated, but it was also too pretty in a lot of ways. He came back from another meeting with a potential distributer and found the message waiting for him at the front desk. It wasn’t anything particularly, but the wording sent a chill down Jim’s spine._

**_Call me._ **

_That was it. Jim waited until he got into his hotel room, then called the island’s direct line. He listened to John on the other side. When he put the phone down, he immediately called the concierge and got them to organise a ticket back to the Bahamas as soon as they could manage it._

************

They got past the jetty and to the vegetation. Jim frowned.

‘Shit.’ he said. ‘I don’t know if we’re going to get through this shit. It’s been a long time since I’ve been down there.’ He looked back at the jetty. ‘I think we need to take another tack.’

Ross ended up in a dinghy, paddling at the front and giving Jim looks over his shoulder.

‘This is fucking ridiculous.’ he said. Their little moment on the beach had dispelled a lot of the tension between them, and the snark was back.

‘Shut up and paddle.’ Jim replied. ‘Do you want to know or not?’

‘About your dead boyfriend?’ Ross said. ‘I’m not so sure anymore.’

‘It’ll explain a lot.’ Jim said. ‘Not least of which why I’m as fucked up as I am.’

‘You mean more than the actual ‘I’m a sociopathic murderer’ thing?’ Ross said. He lifted his oar and made a face as he shook some seaweed off of it.

‘More than that.’ Jim said. ‘Before then I was already killing but I kind of hadn’t gone past the point where it wasn’t part of the job.’

‘So what happened then?’ Ross asked. ‘Why did his dying send you off the deep end?’ They were coming in towards a beach and he slowed as they approached. Behind him Jim put his par down and got up, hopping over the side to haul the boat into shore. Ross got out and helped him. They got the boat out of the water and Jim stood an out his hands on his hips.

‘So this is my beach.’ he said. ‘I spent a lot of time down here. When we were together we practically lived here for three years.’ That got a look from Ross.

‘You were together for three years?’ he asked.

‘Since I was almost seventeen.’ Jim replied. ‘I loved him.’ Ross felt his stomach give s sickening lurch. Suddenly the good humour was gone.

‘You loved him?’ he parroted.

‘Yeah.’ Jim said. ‘Andres was the first person I ever fell in love with.’ He started walking up the beach and Ross followed.

‘His name was Andres?’ he asked, jogging to catch up.

‘He was Colombian. Flint brought him in to be part of the consortium.’ Jim replied. The moonlight was so bright that he was painted in silvery hues. ‘The first summer he worked for him, we kind of fell into bed together and the rest was history.’

‘So what happened?’ Ross was suddenly afraid to ask. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

‘He was doing a run.’ Jim said. ‘I was supposed to be with him, but John sent me to Switzerland instead. He got caught between Venezuela and Aruba by a rival runner crew. We’d been having problems and things had got a little, shall we say serious, and they killed him to send John and Flint a message.’ The straightforward way Jim said that made Ross stare at him in astonishment.

‘What?’ He was aghast. ‘They killed him? How can you be so okay with that?’

‘Because it was nine years ago.’ Jim said, and there was a strange little note in his voice, like he was only just discovering that what he was saying was actually true. ‘And now I have you. It won’t help anything to hold onto that.’ He stopped and Ross almost bumped into him. ‘Here we are.’ Ross looked at the shadow of the building in front of them. It was timber and thatched, and Jim walked up the stairs, stopping halfway to test one that was creaking ominously. ‘I should probably fix that.’

Ross followed him up the stairs and saw Jim standing at the door. It was secured with a chain and padlock, and Jim was looking around. Ross sighed and reached into his pocket for his key chain. He carried it everywhere, mostly because he had his lock picks on it.

‘Get out the way.’ he said and moved past Jim, who watched fascinated as Ross expertly picked the padlock and popped it open.

‘Impressive.’ he said. ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’

‘Nice to know I can still surprise you.’ Ross said. He moved so Jim could pull the chain off and shove the door open. The interior of the building melt musty and damp and there was no light. Jim went inside and Ross hung back at the door. There was the sound of someone scrabbling around and then a match was struck. He watched Jim light hurricane lamp and them blow the match out. Ross peered in the door.

‘It’s a bit of a state.’ Jim said. ‘I haven’t been in here since….’ He trailed off, then seemed to pull himself together. ‘Come on, let’s get a fire started. This is going to take a while.’

**********

_Jim stood in the study of Diego’s house. He stared at the screen of the TV, the image frozen._

_‘Jim.’ John said, low and unspeakably distraught. ‘You don’t need to watch the rest of it.’_

_‘Get out.’ Jim said. There was nothing in his voice, not a single emotion that could be detected. ‘Both of you.’_

_‘Jaime…’ Diego started, but he turned and stared them down. For the first time in his life he saw fear in both their faces and knew that he was the one that had put it there._

_‘GET OUT!’ he shouted, the sudden change in volume and the deep seated fury in his voice sending two of the most frightening men he knew scuttling for cover. Jim slammed the door closed behind them and then locked it. He went back and dragged a chair in front of the TV then pressed the play button. He sat down and forced himself to watch the next twenty minutes until it ended. When it was done, he reloaded the DVD and watched it again._

_In all there was about twenty-six minutes of footage. It had been shot on the boat, and when they dragged Andres in front of the camera Jim could barely recognise him. They had beaten him until his face was nothing but a bloody pulp. Jim’s practiced eye picked up the blood trailing down his arms from where they’d pulled his fingernails and the cigarette burns and cuts that were scattered across his exposed skin. He was naked, and Jim would have wagered good money that they’d probably raped him as well. He knew runners, and a pretty face was a pretty face._

_Andres never spoke once as they dragged his head back and the blood streaming from his mouth spoke of other things. Maybe they’d cut his tongue out or knocked his teeth in. Then a man had come to stand behind him, and Jim saw that he was wearing Andres’ crucifix. He took hold of Andres’ hair and drew the blade of the knife he held in one blood covered hand across Andres’ throat in one brutal cut._

_It didn’t take long for him to die._

_When he was dead, they threw him to the deck and cut him up with whatever was to hand. Each piece was taken and chucked over the side. The man with the camera laughed and pointed it at the water. The surface was filled with thrashing forms, sleek and grey, that competed for the parts that they snatched as soon as they hit the water._

_There was so much blood they were slipping in it, still laughing and babbling in Spanish. The parting crack was that it was a shame to have wasted such a fine piece of ass. Then the footage ended._

_Jim wasn’t sure how long he sat there. But when he finally left the room, no-one stood in his way._

**********

‘They cut him up?’ Ross said. His eyes were wide and dark in the reflected firelight.

‘Yeah.’ Jim poked the fire with a long stick. ‘It kind of drove me crazy.’ He huffed. ‘Like legitimately psychotic. That’s the closest to a breakdown I’ve ever been.’ He put the stick down and leaned back.

‘So what did you do?’ Ross asked. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Jim smiled.

**********

_They weren’t hard to track down._

_Jim flew into Caracas on a forged passport, with dyed brown hair, brown contacts and a very impressive fake tan job. He took a succession of buses to the coast and hung around Azubure for a couple of days. It didn’t take long for them to turn up. He’d paid a lot of money to various sources to tell him where this particular crew moored and, sure enough, he ran across them in one of the beach bars, barely more than a shack and some plastic beach chairs on the sand. There were five of them, all ranging from teens to thirties. Jim couldn’t see the one who’d killed Andres among them, but it wasn’t unusual for the skipper to stay back on the boat to look after what was a very valuable commodity. A runner’s boat was his life. Like most runners they had questionable hygiene and Jim got more and more agitated listening to their crude stories and jokes at the expense of the rather pretty waitress. He sat and gripped the beer in his hand until his knuckles went white and listened to them until they were drunk enough to call time on themselves._

_It turned out they didn’t have many friends in the small seaside village, and a few bolivar went a long way to buying information. It also bought him silence. Weapons weren’t a problem. Jim had already bought a few things while he was in Caracas._

_Two nights later, they came shore again in the early evening. This time Jim engaged them in conversation, buying them a couple of rounds and the alcohol loosened their tongues. He discovered that the skipper was a man called Mauro and he ran for the Colluscas syndicate. They also let it slip that he was currently aboard a fishing boat called Mercedes which was moored out just beyond the wave line. Jim smiled and bought them another round of drinks, paid his bill and left._  
_It was a few minutes walk down to the stretch of beach where the yacht was moored. He looked out into the night and spotted the tell-tale outline against the night sky. He discarded his shoes and t-shirt, rolling them up into a bundle that he stowed in a boat shack. Under his shorts he had two knives strapped to his thighs, which was all he would need._

_He went down to the water and waded in until it was chest deep, then struck out for the yacht. He was a strong swimmer, years of team training so deeply ingrained that he swam for two hours every day. It took him about forty five minutes to get out past the waves, duck diving underneath them. He swan steadily and eventually he was coming up to the yacht. Jim submerged and swam underwater the rest of the way, coming up behind the stern of the boat. He reached down, taking one of the knives out of its sheath and putting it between his teeth before he moved to the swim platform. It was a decent size boat, about fifty-five feet. Jim braced himself on the swim platform and waited for his breathing to even out and slow before he hauled himself out of the water, making no noise at all._

_Jim got to his feet, taking the knife in his hand and turning it in so it was ready to use. There was light and sound coming from the pilot’s cabin at the bow and he moved against the superstructure, blending into the shadows. He got to the open hatch and listened. Gangster rap blared out into the night and when he leaned in ever so slightly he saw the man now identified as Mauro at the wheel. He was in the skipper’s chair, feet up on the console and his baseball back tipped up at the back of his head._

_Jim stared into the pool of light, sizing up his target. Mauro was powerfully built, his face rough-hewn and in a certain light one could almost say handsome. Jim scrutinised him, his gaze landing on the hands Mauro had crossed over his stomach._

_The hands that had cut Andres’ throat._

_Jim had expected to feel rage. Instead all he felt was a perfect calm in the face of what he was about to do. He looked around and spotted a billhook. He picked it up and then chucked it over the rail. The noise alerted Mauro and Jim flattened himself against the boat, waiting for the man to come outside. He moved right past him and it was simplicity itself to step in behind him as he leaned over looking at the water and wrap one arm around his throat._

_Mauro struggled hard, and Jim held him still. He focused on controlling the air flow until he felt Mauro start to go limp. He held his grip a little longer and then the man slumped in his arms. Jim lowered him to the deck and regarded him dispassionately. Part of him wanted to kill him now, but Jim had spent a good many nights thinking about what he was going to do and that required a lot of time and privacy._

_He straightened up, looking around the boat. He had things to do._

********

‘Here it is.’ Jim said. He came down the stairs with a book in his hands. It was a paperback, weather soiled and well worn. He came and sat down next to Ross, opening the front cover. There was a dedication in spidery black writing. Ross looked at it. It was the same handwriting that had been on the back of the photograph and it was in Spanish. ‘It was the last resent he gave me.’

‘What was he like?’ Ross asked. It was unusual to find Jim being this sentimental and he was intrigued now by the man that had set Jim on the path to who he’d become.

‘Funny as hell. He could drink Flint and John under the table. He never put up with my stroppy arse for more than a day before he bullied me out of my moods.’ Jim smiled. ‘And he had a very romantic streak which I didn’t really appreciate at the time.’ He handed the book to Ross. Ross looked at it.

‘Who’s José Asunción Silva?’ he asked.

‘A Colombian poet.’ Jim replied. ‘He wrote some of the most beautiful poems in Spanish that I’ve ever read.’ He took the book back from Ross. ‘He was Andres’ favourite writer. He used to read it to me before we went to sleep.’

‘He sounds wonderful.’ Ross said, finding it hard not to sound a little stroppy himself.

‘He was.’ Jim said, smiling as he picked up on Ross’ tone. He put one arm around Ross’ neck and kissed his temple. ‘But he wasn’t you.’

*********

_He waited in the shadows for them to come back and then picked them off one by one. It was easy and he moved like a shadow through the boat, using his knife to cut and maim and mutilate. By the time he was done, they were nothing more than still forms on the deck and he was covered in blood, the moonlight turning it black on his skin._

_That left just one._

_Jim went back up on deck, wiping streaks across his already sticky face. He retraced his steps to the pilot house and went inside. The man in the pilot’s chair struggled against his bonds, whining under the gag Jim had made from his shirtsleeve. Jim walked to stand in front of him and gave Mauro a considering look. He let his eyes fall from the man’s frightened face and his eyes moved down until they got to the crucifix lying in the man’s sparse chest hair._

_He closed his eyes and got a flash of sunlight off silver as he sailed away. When he opened them again, he knew what he wanted to do._

_The first thing was to cut the gag off Mauro’ face. Jim wanted to hear him scream, wanted him to make all the noise he’d deprived Andres of making. And Jim was more than willing to assist in that matter._

_He wasn’t gentle. But the time he’d finished drawing his knife across Mauro’s face in interesting patterns, the man was screaming. Jim watched him beg and plead in Spanish and smiled as it filled him with a deep contentment. Then he held the man’s head still and cut out his eyes, one by one. They dropped to the deck and Jim kicked them away._

_Mauro was whining like a beaten dog. He was praying, saying the rosary under his breath. Jim was tired of his noises so he cut out his tongue and then put it on the console. The blood gushed from the man’s mouth and its rich sheen excited Jim. He dragged his fingers through it, rubbing it between them to feel the slickness._

_The final touch was the one that came as naturally as breathing to him. Mauro’s chest was broad and it provided the perfect canvas for his work. It took a long time but when he was done he stood back and regarded his handiwork with pride. The carefully incised letters ran the width of the man’s chest and Jim ran his fingertips over the words committing them to memory._

**_Una noche_ **  
**_una noche toda llena de perfumes, de murmullos y de música de älas,_ **  
**_Una noche_ **  
**_en que ardían en la sombra nupcial y húmeda, las luciérnagas fantásticas,_ **  
**_a mi lado, lentamente, contra mí ceñida, toda,_ **  
**_muda y pálida_ **  
**_como si un presentimiento de amarguras infinitas,_ **  
**_hasta el fondo más secreto de tus fibras te agitara,_ **  
**_por la senda que atraviesa la llanura florecida_ **  
**_caminabas,_ **  
**_y la luna llena_ **  
**_por los cielos azulosos, infinitos y profundos esparcía su luz blanca,_ **  
**_y tu sombra_ **  
**_fina y lángida_ **  
**_y mi sombra_ **  
**_por los rayos de la luna proyectada_ **  
**_sobre las arenas tristes_ **  
**_de la senda se juntaban._ **  
**_Y eran una_ **  
**_y eran una_ **  
**_¡y eran una sola sombra larga!_ **  
**_¡y eran una sola sombra larga!_ **  
**_¡y eran una sola sombra larga!_ **

**_Esta noche_ **  
**_solo, el alma_ **  
**_llena de las infinitas amarguras y agonías de tu muerte,_ **  
**_separado de ti misma, por la sombra, por el tiempo y la distancia,_ **  
**_por el infinito negro,_ **  
**_donde nuestra voz no alcanza,_ **  
**_solo y mudo_ **  
**_por la senda caminaba,_ **  
**_y se oían los ladridos de los perros a la luna,_ **  
**_a la luna pálida_ **  
**_y el chillido_ **  
**_de las ranas,_ **  
**_sentí frío, era el frío que tenían en la alcoba_ **  
**_tus mejillas y tus sienes y tus manos adoradas,_ **  
**_¡entre las blancuras níveas_ **  
**_de las mortüorias sábanas!_ **  
**_Era el frío del sepulcro, era el frío de la muerte,_ **  
**_Era el frío de la nada..._ **

**_Y mi sombra_ **  
**_por los rayos de la luna proyectada,_ **  
**_iba sola,_ **  
**_iba sola_ **  
**_¡iba sola por la estepa solitaria!_ **  
**_Y tu sombra esbelta y ágil_ **  
**_fina y lánguida,_ **  
**_como en esa noche tibia de la muerta primavera,_ **  
**_como en esa noche llena de perfumes, de murmullos y de músicas de alas,_ **  
**_se acercó y marchó con ella,_ **  
**_se acercó y marchó con ella,_ **  
**_se acercó y marchó con ella... ¡Oh las sombras enlazadas!_ **  
**_¡Oh las sombras que se buscan y se juntan en las noches de negruras y de lágrimas!..._ **

_Jim smiled, remembering Andres’ voice reciting the words to him as they lay together on his bed, his mouth pressed to Jim’s ear as he whispered until Jim fell asleep. He reached out and tilted Mauro’s head back. The man's skin was pale and clammy, his breathing barely there, but he was still alive. Jim gave him a serene smile and lifted the crucifix from the bloody skin and ran his thumb over the beautifully crafted figure. Then he let it go, put the knife back in its sheath and reached around Mauro’s neck to undo it before fastening it around his own. Then he drew the knife once more and pressed it to the man’s neck._

_‘For you, mi amor.’ he murmured and cut Mauro’s throat in one easy stroke. Jim watched him, feeling the calm and happiness fill him as the man who’d taken the last thing that had kept his humanity from slipping away died in front of him. He left the pilot house and slipped back into the water and swam slowly back to the beach, letting the water wash the blood from him so when he finally stumbled back onto the sand he was as clean as if he’d never been there._

*********

‘I’m so sorry.’ Ross breathed into Jim’s arm. ‘I can’t imagine anyone losing someone like that.’

‘Why not?’ Jim said. ‘The people we’ve killed have families.’

‘I know. I try not to think about it too much.’ Ross said.

‘Liar.’ Jim replied. ‘You don’t care. Just like I don’t. The only things I care about are on this island and sitting in that extremely tacky house in Miami.’ He kissed the top of Ross’ head. ‘Everything else could just disappear and I would be happy.’ Ross looked up at him, straining his neck so he could look Jim in the eye.

‘I love you so much.’ he said, perfectly serious. Jim smiled.

‘I love you too.’ he replied.

‘Enough to kill for me?’ Ross asked.

‘I’ve already killed for you.’ Jim replied. ‘How about one better?’ He dug in his pocket and took out something. He held out his closed hand and Ross put his under it, catching the object Jim dropped into his palm. He stared at the chain and crucifix in his hand, the silver catching the firelight.

‘Was it his?’ he asked and Jim nodded.

‘It was.’ he replied. ‘And now it belongs to you. Just like me.’ Ross looked at him, his dark eyes shining. He leaned up and kissed Jim on the mouth, soft and lingering.

‘Thank you.’ he said and handed it back to Jim, pulling his hair out of the way. Jim fastened the chain around his neck and looked at where it lay against Ross’ t-shirt.

‘Let’s hope you have better luck with it.’ he said and Ross smiled.

‘I’m a fuckload harder to kill.’ he said and Jim huffed a laugh.

‘I fucking hope so.’ he replied and wrapped his arms around Ross’ chest. Ross sighed happily and snuggled back against him.

They sat like that until the sun came up.


	10. Family is Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross is starting to understand more and more.

Ross woke up with his head on Jim’s lap and Jim’s fingers in his hair. He smiled and luxuriated in the gentle scratching to his scalp. The sun was warm and he felt more comfortable and happier than he ever had.

‘Hey sleepy baby.’ Jim’s voice was as warm as the sun. ‘You’re finally awake.’ He stroked the curls which now made Ross’ hair resemble a bird’s nest more than anything else after a night in the salt air. ‘We need to get going soon.’

‘No.’ Ross said and snuggled down further into Jim’s lap. ‘I want to stay here.’ Jim chuckled and jostled him.

‘Tough. I’m fucking starving and I’m not missing breakfast.’ He lifted his arm so Ross could sit up. Ross pushed himself off Jim’s lap, yawning and stretching like a big cat.

‘What time is it?’ he asked and Jim looked at his watch.

‘Just after nine.’ he said. ‘Sun’s been up a while.’ Ross rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at him. He saw Jim was wearing his determined face.

‘Crap.’ he said. ‘What have you decided?’ Jim looked a little taken aback but it morphed into a dimpled smile.

‘I was thinking about this place actually.’ he replied and looked back at the cabana. ‘I have a lot of ideas of what to do with it.’

‘Really?’ Ross frowned at the building which looked a little dilapidated in the daylight.

‘I was thinking we could fix it up.’ Jim said and this time Ross looked at him. There was something in Jim’s face that made his heart contract.

‘Fix it up?’ he asked and Jim laughed and leaned in to kiss him.

‘Yeah, you idiot.’ he said. ‘For us. Make it our place.’ He ran his thumb along Ross’ mouth. ‘Would you like that?’ Ross gave him a brilliant smile and another kiss.

‘Count me in.’ he replied.

***********

Flint was setting out breakfast when they finally walked back up to the house after paddling back around to the jetty. He straightened up and smiled at them.

‘Morning.’ he said as they walked up the steps. ‘We were wondering where you two had got to.’ He watched them come up and the Jim saw his eyes widen almost imperceptibly as he clocked the crucifix around Ross’ neck. He kept his face neutral, but when his eyes met Jim’s there was a gleam of approval in the steel grey depths.

‘We went for a walk.’ Jim said and Flint nodded.

‘Well, I hope you’re hungry. You father’s decided to push the boat out this morning.’ he said and Jim smiled. He was used to John’s displays of affection through the medium of food. ‘Go get washed up and we can eat.’

‘Go ahead.’ he said to Ross. ‘I’ll just be a minute.’ Ross gave him a quizzical look but went inside. When he was out of earshot, Flint looked at him.

‘You gave it to him.’ It was a statement rather than a question.

‘I did.’ Jim replied. ‘I think they would have liked each other.’

‘He’s nice.’ Flint said, and there was a hint of melancholy in it. ‘And he loves you. It makes me worry.’ Jim looked at him.

‘He’s different, Flint.’ he said. ‘Andreas was a wonderful man, but he was also too gentle in a lot of ways. That’s why he died. He couldn’t ever bring himself to kill anyone.’ He looked towards the living room. ‘Ross isn’t like that. In some ways he’s more of a monster than I am. I’ve seen him do things that would terrify you.’ He put his hand on Flint’s arm. ‘I don’t need to protect him, even though I would give my last breath to do so. Ross is very capable of protecting himself.’

‘That makes me feel a little better.’ Flint replied. ‘Go shower. You’re shedding sand everywhere.’ Jim laughed and walked inside. He slowed as he got to the kitchen, the sound of Bob Marley bringing back memories of being a child and sitting on the counter while John cooked them breakfast. His adopted father was at the stove, his back to the door. He stopped moving as Jim came in and turned to look over his shoulder at him.

‘You were out late last night.’ There was an amused undercurrent.

‘Aren’t I a little old for curfew check?’ Jim asked, and John snorted.

‘You’re never going to be too old for me to stop worrying about you.’ he replied. ‘It’s my job.’

‘And you do it so well.’ Jim said, gently mocking, and John gave him a look that told him he was also not too old to be grounded for insolence.

‘Get out of my kitchen and go shower.’ he said. ‘I’m taking you two up to Exuma today.’ Jim left him to go back to his cooking and walked down the hallway to the door to his room. He could hear the shower going and saw the scattered clothes that Ross had chucked haphazardly on the floor in his usual way. There was a fine trail of pink sand that Ross had left in his wake and Jim went into the bathroom to see him already in the shower, the water coursing down his lean body. He stripped off his own clothes and went to climb in behind him, putting his arms around Ross and pressing up against him. Ross leaned back into him and Jim pressed a kiss to his wet shoulder.

‘I’m tired.’ Ross yawned. ‘Can we just sleep today?’

‘Sadly no.’ he replied. ‘But it’s going to take about an hour to get up to Exuma so you can sleep on the way up. Once we’ve done our custom check done we can come back and lie around all afternoon.’

‘Okay.’ Ross had his head bent forward, the dark curls flattened by the water. The warmth was clearly making him sleepy. He was now leaning most of his weight on Jim, and Jim held him up. He ran one hand up and over Ross’ chest, letting it come to rest over the new acquisition that hung around his neck. He’d used to do that with Andres, and it felt familiar and yet also completely new at the same time.

‘You know,’ Ross said. ‘I’ve never been religious.’

‘Neither have I.’ Jim said. ‘But this is more than that.’

‘I get that.’ Ross threaded his fingers through Jim’s. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’ Jim asked and Ross let his hand go to turn around in his arms. He put both arms around Jim’s neck, elbows resting on Jim’s shoulders. His hazel eyes were perfectly clear.

‘For telling me.’ he replied. ‘For not hiding it.’

‘We have no secrets.’ Jim said. He looked steadily at Ross. ‘You will always know everything.’

‘Everything?’ Ross asked.

‘Everything.’ Jim replied. ‘Just ask me.’ They stood looking at each other until they heard Flint calling from the hallway.

‘Boys! Breakfast! Hurry the fuck up!’

‘Well, I can see where you get your language from.’ Ross said and Jim laughed. He ran his hands down Ross’ sides, delighting in the flinch he got when he hit Ross’ ticklish spots.

‘Think you can stay awake through breakfast?’ he asked and Ross groaned and leaned his forehead on Jim’s shoulder.

‘If I must.’ he said. He was now almost a dead weight in Jim’s arms. ‘But I’m not promising anything.’

‘Oh, you will.’ Jim said. ‘Trust me. If you think I cook well, you’re going to want to marry John after breakfast.’

‘The only person I want to marry is you.’ Ross mumbled into his shoulder and Jim felt a jolt go through him at the words. He knew that Ross would probably not remember saying it, but it only added to the inevitability he had felt creeping up on him since he had made the call to tell John he was bringing Ross to the Bahamas. He smiled into Ross’ shoulder.

‘Would you?’ he asked and Ross lifted his head long enough to look at him.

‘Would I what?’ he asked, and Jim could hear a note of expectation in his voice.

‘Nothing.’ he said, grinning at him. ‘Come on sleepyhead, let’s get you fed.’

*********

‘He gave him Andres’ crucifix.’ Flint said thoughtfully. He watched John flip the pancakes he was cooking and reached out to steal a strawberry from the bowl at John’s elbow, wincing as John rapped him sharply over the knuckles with the spatula.

‘I think this may the one.’ he said.

‘Are you comfortable with that fact?’ Flint asked. ‘It was bad enough with just Jim being like he is.’ He sighed. ‘There’s studies about people like them. It can get out of hand. What if they get caught?’

‘Jim’s been killing people since he was a teenager. That’s the honest truth of it.’ John said. ‘He hasn’t been caught yet and now he has Ross I doubt he’d do anything to put either of them in danger.’ He handed Flint the plate of pancakes. ‘And haven’t you noticed how calm he is. I haven’t seen him this relaxed for a long time. I think Ross is good for him.’

‘I suppose so.’ Flint said. He put the pancakes aside and stepped into John’s space. ‘And it’s nice to have our boy back.’ John smiled and kissed him.

‘Yes, it is.’ he said.

********

Ross and Jim emerged showered and sand free and dressed in clean clothes from the house. They padded barefoot down the corridor and out to the terrace. Flint and Silver were already seated and Ross hid his surprise to see them holding hands over the table. Jim had hinted that they were more than just friends but he hadn’t expected to see them so openly affectionate with each other. He hadn’t had a huge amount of exposure to positive role models in terms of emotional openness, the Poldarks being a reserved and chilly lot and Mathilde not exactly being warm. It was nice to see. Then he saw the amount of food that was on the table and looked at Jim, who was holding out his chair for him.

‘You weren’t joking.’ he said and sat down. Jim went to sit next to him.

‘No, I wasn’t.’ he replied.

‘Old habits.’ John said. ‘I’ve always had a problem with catering for small numbers.’

‘Don’t worry.’ Jim said, grinning at Ross. ‘This one eats like a horse.’

‘Still fucking growing.’ Ross retorted, accepting the plate of pancakes from Flint. ‘Jim told me you used to be a chef.’

‘I did.’ John replied. He gave Flint a smile. ‘It’s actually how we met. James was working on the same yacht as me and we hated each other on first sight. Fought like cat and dog for six months and then got drunk one night and fell into bed.’

‘James?’ Ross looked at Jim.

‘The other James.’ Jim said.

‘Nobody calls me James except John.’ Flint explained. ‘It’s actually quite funny. I’m James and so is Jim and of course Diego is the Spanish version of James.’

‘They call you Jaime though.’ Ross said looking at Jim.

‘To distinguish between us.’ Jim said. ‘But my given name is James.’

‘It’s strange.’ Ross said. ‘I’ve never given much thought to it. You’ve always been Jim to me.’

‘Your name is unusual.’ John said. ‘Poldark.’

‘It’s Cornish.’ Ross replied. ‘My whole family has some very strange names.’

‘Tell them what your second name is.’ Jim said with a smile and Ross glared at him.

‘Shut up.’ he said. ‘Just because you don’t have one.’

‘Now I’m intrigued.’ John said. ‘What is it?’

‘Vennor.’ Ross said. ‘It’s a family thing.’

‘Do you have a lot of family?’ Flint asked.

‘A fair number. I don’t really see them much. To be honest when Jim told me about growing up with you, I was kind of jealous. It must have been nice with just you.’ He looked up from his breakfast and caught a lightning fast look between Jim and John. It was gone in an instant, but Ross knew what he’d seen. He filed it away for later, when he and Jim were alone.

‘Family is what you make it, not who you’re related to.’ John said and the hint of steel in his words piqued Ross’ interest even more. ‘When Jim’s family died, the people in charge didn’t want me to have him. I had to do a lot of smart talking and some very unsubtle threatening to get them to let him come live with me.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me.’ Ross said. ‘I would imagine the fact he killed his parents was a bit of an obstacle even if they couldn’t pin it on him.’ His gamble paid off. The looks of shock on John and Flint’s faces told him it was true. He glanced at Jim, not sure of the reaction. He was a little surprised to see the look of open admiration on Jim’s face. Ross had harboured the suspicion since Miami and this confirmation was a small victory, an affirmation that he was starting to be just as good at reading Jim as Jim was at reading him.

‘You know.’ John said.

‘If I had been braver I probably would have killed mine too.’ Ross replied. He decided to lay everything out. ‘Look, I know everything about what you two do and how Jim grew up. He’s told me. So it’s only fair that you know the same about me.’

He watched as Flint and John looked at each other. ‘I know you’ve never really asked Jim what he does, what he is. But I want you to know that I am the same as him. I also want you to know that I love him more than anything on this earth and that I will never ever let anything happen to him.’

‘And if they tried?’ John asked. Ross smiled.

‘I’d kill them.’ he said. It sounded so simple to say out loud. ‘There wouldn’t be a single second of hesitation on my part, just like there hasn’t been on his. I know our relationship is not exactly conventional, and that you’re probably worried. But you don’t have to be.’

‘How often?’ It was Flint this time.

‘Not as often as you’d think.’ Jim replied. ‘And we are careful.’ He reached for Ross’ hand and Ross gave it to him. ‘And everything Ross has just said goes for me too. This is it, John.’

‘Fuck.’ John put his chin in his hand. ‘Stef told me that I’d be putting a notice in the paper sooner than I could say it.’ He looked at Jim, his eyes serious. ‘You know I’ve always trusted your judgement, lad. And I trust it now.’

‘Good.’ Jim said. They kept looking at each other. Ross now knew for certain there was something else going on and he looked at Flint, who gave him the tiniest shake of his head. Eventually John broke the look.

‘Eat.’ he said. ‘It’s getting cold.’

**********

_Eleven Years Previously_

_Jim got himself unpacked and waited until most of the hysteria that came about from several years of boy all returning to boarding school at the same time had died down. Then he dug his offering out of the lining of his suitcase (a surprisingly effective hiding place), stuck it in his pocket and headed down the corridor. Newlands was an eccentrically built house, and the Master, Mr Higgins, was also Jim’s swimming coach. He was a South African, stern and yet extremely tolerant of the individual boys’ characters and Jim liked him enormously._

_Ben’s room was one floor down from Jim’s, which was right at the top. The shorter ceilings didn’t bother Jim. He walked past open doors and corridors full of other boys, smiling and greeting his fellow housemates as he went. When he got to Ben’s room, the door was closed. Jim knocked and there was the sound of things being moved around. That made Jim smile, but eventually the door opened and the boy who Jim considered to be his best friend at Harrow looked out at him. He gave Jim a grin and then held the door open for Jim to enter._

_Like his room upstairs, Ben’s room was small and neatly furnished with a single bed, a desk and a book shelf. There was a walk in wardrobe and a large sash window that looked out over the gardens that surrounded the house. Ben lounged on the bed, giving Jim the once over. Then he grinned._

_‘So how was the Bahamas?’ he asked. Jim shrugged and sat down next to him._

_‘Could have been better.’ he replied._

_‘Yeah?’ Ben frowned. ‘For a guy who’s spent the last two weeks fucking his smoking hot boyfriend, I have to say you seem a little crabby.’_

_‘I need something.’ Jim said. He took the plastic bag of white powder out of his pocket and chucked it on the bed. Ben’s green eyes lit up. He picked up the bag and dangled it in front of his face._

_‘Is it cut?’ he asked and Jim snorted._

_‘No, it’s pure.’ he replied. ‘And if John founds out I skimmed it, there’ll be hell to pay.’_

_‘Nice.’ Ben opened the bag and licked the tip of his little finger before dipping it in and then sucking the powder off the end. ‘Fuck, that’s good shit.’_

_‘Of course it is.’ Jim said, sounding slightly affronted. ‘So, you in?’_

_‘What’s the job?’ Ben asked. Jim reached into the other pocket of his jeans and took out a piece of paper and gave it to him._

_‘I want everything you can find on her. Everything.’ he said._

_‘How high do you want me to go?’ Ben asked._

_‘Everything.’ Jim repeated and Ben’s eyes widened._

_‘Fuck.’ he said. ‘That’s risky shit, Hawkins.’_

_‘There’s another two of those in it for you if you find out what I want.’ Jim said. He gave Ben a grin. ‘I have to go finish sorting my shit out. We can catch up later, yeah?’_

_‘Yeah.’ Ben said and watched him walk to the door. He looked at the name on the piece of paper Jim had given him. ‘Can I ask who she is?’_

_‘Trouble.’ Jim replied and walked out, closing the door behind him._

***********

They were on the Whaler, and Ross was actually managing to keep his eyes open to enjoy the salt spray and bright sunshine. They were sitting at the stern of the Whaler. He looked at Jim, who was next to him, blond hair ruffled by the passage of air. He looked calm and happy and Ross hated to change that, but his curiosity had been burning a hole in his brain.

He shifted and Jim looked at him. His mirrored aviators were hiding his eyes, but Ross could feel the weight of his look.

‘Ask me.’ he said.

‘At breakfast this morning when we were talking about family, there was something there.’ Ross said.

‘You’re not wrong.’ Jim replied. He smiled and his dimples flashed. ‘Clever boy.’

‘What was it?’ Ross asked.

‘It’s not a happy story.’ Jim said, but his voice was teasing. ‘You sure you want to hear it?’

‘I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.’ Ross retorted. Jim snorted and shoved him with his bare foot. Ross waited patiently and then his request was granted.

‘John had a daughter.’ he said. Ross noted the use of the past tense.

‘What happened to her?’ he asked.

‘I killed her.’ Jim replied.

**********

_It took three months, but when Ben was done he handed over Jim's USB shaped like a Pikachu._

_‘This is everything?’ he asked. Ben nodded._

_‘I had to access some pretty high up shit.’ he replied. ‘But to be fair their systems are shockingly ill protected.’_

_‘So they won’t be able to track you down?’ Jim asked._

_‘No. It’ll take them to a defunct company server in China.’ Ben said. He watched as Jim took two plastic bags out of his pockets and handed them over. ‘A pleasure doing business with you.’ Jim laughed and took the USB to his room._  
_He spent the rest of the night reading. When he was done he was seething with rage. It took three days for him to calm down enough to think straight, but when he did he started planning._

*********

‘So Ben basically hacked the INL?’ Ross asked and Jim nodded.

‘He was a genius.’ he said. ‘MI6 headhunted him right out of school. Unfortunately his bad habits caught up with him and he overdosed about five years after we graduated.’ He looked out over the water. ‘It’s a pity. He was a good contact to have.’

‘So what did you do when you found out?’ Ross asked and Jim turned his head, now looking at the spare figure at the wheel of the boat.

*********

_Jim bided his time. He didn’t want to go into the situation half-cocked and letting his anger get the better of him. He also needed to consider what he was going to do about it. He’d spent the week debating about whether he should speak to Flint about what he’d discovered, but decided against it._

_It was coming up to the Easter half term and he had two weeks holiday. Normally Flint came over to the UK and he and Jim went to Europe, but Jim had suggested that his time would be much better served by coming home for the fortnight. John had accepted this without question, surmising that Jim was coming home to he could see Andres, which was true._

_But it wasn’t the only reason._

_He left school the Saturday before Easter and caught the train to Heathrow. His flight was direct to Exuma and then he would be collected by Flint and Andres as they cruised back from Miami. The USB was stowed in his jeans pocket, and it felt like it was going to burn right through the fabric. The flight was uneventful, but strangely Jim felt more guilty on this trip carrying nothing but the information in his pocket that he ever had while carrying drugs._

_He arrived early in the morning and came into the arrivals lounge to find a darkly tanned and beaming Andres waiting for him. He hauled Jim off his feet, kissing him furiously before he allowed Jim to be set down again. It made what Jim had to do feel even worse, not because of what he’d be doing to her but because of what it would do to John. As much as he hated his godfather’s daughter, she was still his daughter and Jim knew this was going to hurt him an awful lot._

_‘You’re quiet.’ Andres said as they were on the Walrus sailing back to the cay. He was standing behind Jim, arms around him and his chin on his shoulder. ‘What are you plotting?’_

_‘I’m not plotting.’ Jim replied automatically. Andres snorted and then bit him gently on the ear._

_‘Liar.’ he said and snuffled into the back of Jim’s neck. ‘I know you’re thinking of something.’_

_‘It doesn’t concern you.’ Jim said. ‘The less you know, the better.’ The made Andres hesitate a moment._

_‘Jaime.’ he said, and his voice was serious. ‘What is going on?’_

_Jim didn’t answer him._

**********

‘So what did you do?’ Ross asked. He was riveted. Jim had a way of telling stories that dragged him in.

‘I decided to give her a chance to pack her shit up and leave.’ Jim said. ‘I wasn’t above giving her a fighting chance. But then when I got back, the thing with César happened and I ended up chasing after him for practically the whole time. By the time I got back, I had to get on a plane and bugger off to England again.’

‘So you had to wait until summer?’ Ross said.

‘Lots of time to think.’ Jim replied.

**********

_Jim gasped as he tried to struggle to his feet. Cesar outweighed him by a good twenty pounds and the hit had knocked most of the air out of him. Across from him, Cesar had one had to his ribs where Jim’s blade had found its mark. There was a growing red stain under his hand._

_‘Hijo de puta!’ he spat at Jim, his black eyes burning. ‘I am going to fucking kill you!’_

_‘Not if I kill you first.’ Jim hissed back and was gratified to see a flicker of fear in Cesar’s eyes. He hadn’t been the easy target the older man had expected him to be. Jim was quick and ruthless, his martial arts training giving him an equal footing with the taller, heavier man. He shifted his knife back from his left hand to his right. Cesar’s eyes followed it, his lips curled in a mixture of fear and derision. He didn’t know that Jim had spent the best part of the past two years teaching himself to fight with both hands equally well. That was why Jim had been able to get under his guard and deliver the blow that had him bleeding like a stuck pig all over the deck._

_Cesar stood up and pulled his hand back, looking at the blood on his fingers. Then he roared in anger and charged at Jim. Jim was still out of breath and, although he tried to dodge the blow, Cesar caught him hard across the body and they hit the rail. The force of the hit knocked the knife from his hand and then Cesar got one arm across his throat. Jim felt the air being blocked off and decided in that split second to go with the momentum. It was that or be choked to death. He relaxed and let the force of Cesar’s attack carry them over the rail and down into the water. And because he was the one to decide on that course of action, Jim was prepared, taking in a massive breath before they hit the surface and disappeared beneath it. The water was cool and they went down a good way before starting to rise due to their natural buoyancy. Then Jim struck. He moved his hands to keep himself in the water and waited for Cesar to go past him in a frantic state. Then he reached out and grabbed Cesar’s ankle._

_Jim had spent a lot of time sitting at the bottom of Harrow’ pool, holding his breath in ever increasing increments. He like the silence and calm of being underwater and his swim team had competitions to see who could hold their breath for longest. Now he put that to good use, calming himself and holding on to Cesar as he realised that he was being restrained. He kicked out at Jim, but the water slowed and dulled the force of his kicks and Jim watched dispassionately as the man’s movements grew more and more frantic. His brain ticked off the seconds and it only took a minute for Cesar’s mouth to open and stream of bubbles to emerge as his body demanded he try and breath. He started to spasm, and Jim held on grimly as his own lungs started to burn with the need for oxygen. Cesar’s movements got feebler and slowed and Jim looked at his face, seeing it slacken and the eyes dull as Cesar ran out of time and out of air._

_When Cesar stopped moving altogether, Jim pushed himself up and past him, getting to the surface and spluttering and gasping for air. He managed to paddle over to the boat, but it was a good while before he could haul himself out. When he did, he collapsed on the deck and lay there. He was filled with a deep and wonderful serenity. It was the singular most incredible thing Jim had ever felt in his short life, even better than what he felt for Andres. It silenced all the noise in his head absolutely._

_He lay there and looked into the sky and smiled._

*********

They got to Exuma and disembarked then made their way to the customs office. John went to go speak to the harbour master while Jim and Ross went into the small office and presented their passports for inspection. Once the passport control officer had stamped them, she returned them and gave them a smile.

‘All done, gentlemen.’ She aid and Jim thanked her, then herded Ross out the office.

‘So what do you want to do?’ he asked. In spite of their lack of sleep they had both gotten their second wind. Ross looked thoughtful and then grinned from ear to ear. Jim caught the look and shook his head.

‘No.’ he said.

‘No, what?’ John asked as he walked up to them.

‘Ross wants to see the swimming pigs.’ Jim said.

‘Damn fucking right.’ Ross said. ‘You asked me what I want to do and that’s what I want to do.’ He gave Jim his best puppy dog eyes. ‘Please babe.’

‘Christ.’ John said, sounding slightly alarmed. ‘That is frighteningly convincing.’

‘Now you know why he’s such a spoiled brat.’ Jim muttered. ‘I keep giving in.’

‘So we can go see the piggies?’ Ross asked, his smile so bright it was practically blinding.

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Jim said. ‘Only if you promise to never ever use the word ‘piggies’ in my presence again.’ He looked at Ross who was now practically bouncing. ‘Oh my God. You are an actual child.’

‘Guilty as charged.’ Ross laughed.

**********

_The term came and went and Jim found himself back in Exuma. This time though, his mind was resigned to what he was going to do and he met Andres with considerably more enthusiasm that he had the last time, catching him around the neck and kissing him hard._

_‘Wow.’ Andres said when Jim finally let him go. He seemed at a loss to say anything else so Jim kissed him again._

_This time Andres had come to fetch him alone and they dropped anchor off one of the uninhabited cays on the way to Little Hog and fucked for hours on the deck in the sun, completely submerging themselves in each other. By the time they finally got to Little Hog it was dark._

_‘You’re late.’ John said. He was waiting on the jetty, his arms folded and his face lined with concern. ‘I tried to get hold of you but your CB is turned off.’_

_‘I know.’ Jim said as he jumped down from the yacht. ‘We were busy catching up.’ He went to tie the mooring lines._

_‘You could have warned us.’ John replied. He sounded snippy and stressed. ‘Coral made a really nice dinner which is basically ruined now.’_

_‘Sorry.’ Jim’s voice was flat. ‘But I refuse to factor your daughter’s unsolicited plans into my life.’ He tied off the stern line and held out a hand to Andres as he prepared to jump own from the deck. ‘And quite frankly, if I want to spend the afternoon fucking my boyfriend instead of listening to her vacuous bollocks, you can’t really blame me.’ He stared right back at John’s shocked expression._

_‘Jaime…’ Andres said, but Jim brushed past them both, walking to the house. He bit his lip, knowing he’d been harsh. But he needed Coral to think that her isolation of his godfather was working._

**********

‘This is amazing!’ They were now waist deep in the crystalline water and the look of sheer delight on Ross’ face made Jim want to kiss him stupid. He was watching the small herd of pigs swimming around him. The fact that it was winter meant here were no other tourists to be seen and they had the pigs’ attention pretty much to themselves. They were an endearing bunch, pink and black and ginger. Ross had one hand extended and a spotted male came paddling over, his flat snout bumping into Ross’ fingers and making him giggle.

‘They’re just pigs, Ross.’ Jim said and Ross snorted in derision.

‘Swimming pigs.’ he corrected, stroking the head of the one next to him. Jim sighed and turned to see John sitting and grinning at them, his feet dangling in the water.

‘I don’t know why you’re smiling, old man.’ he called to him. ‘You aided and abetted this.’

‘Because I’m contemplating the fact that now I finally have someone to do all the fun stuff I missed out on doing with you.’ he replied. ‘Ross, how do you feel about rollercoasters?’

‘Fucking kill me now.’ Jim groaned.

***********

_Jim waited for a week before he made his move. Flint and John were on Exuma and they had invited the two of them along. Jim had demurred, citing school work and Coral had volunteered to stay and look after him. That was in itself ridiculous as Jim hadn’t needed looking after for years. Still, it gave him the opportunity to do what he had planned._

_He was now standing in the kitchen, the island between him and Coral. The Pikachu USB lay on the granite surface between them. Coral was staring at it._

_‘What is that?’ she asked. Jim watched her, arms folded and his blue-green eyes cold._

_‘It’s a chance.’ he said. ‘Your only chance.’ Coral looked confused then tried to bluff her way out._

_‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ she said and Jim smiled._

_‘It was good.’ he said. ‘You being his real daughter. That was clever. Whoever your department head is, they certainly knew an opportunity when they saw one. And your story would check out. Christ, even if John wanted a DNA test it would check out.’ He nodded at the USB. ‘It wasn’t easy to get either. But I had someone dig deep enough and there you were. You’re using your grandmother’s name but it’s you. Who knew that you’d be in the INL?’_

_That got Coral’s attention. Her eyes widened and she went quiet._

_‘I don’t know what you think…’ she started and Jim cut her off._

_‘I think that you came here to basically ingratiate yourself with my father and then shop him to the cops.’ he said. ‘So here is my proposal. You have one chance to fuck off. One chance to get the fuck off this cay and never come back. You forget everything you’ve seen and heard on this island and what you know about us.’_

_‘And if I don’t?’ Coral sounded defiant. Jim shrugged._

_‘This place is very isolated.’ he said. ‘Anything could happen to you.’_

_‘You wouldn’t.’ Coral said. ‘They know I’m here. They’re the ones that sent me.’_

_‘Which is why I am giving you an out.’ Jim replied. ‘You can go back to them and tell them there’s nothing out of the ordinary here.’ Coral laughed, short and harsh._

_‘They already know you lot are up to your eyeballs in it.’ she said, and there was a slight gloating note in her voice. ‘I’ve been updating them since I got here.’ That was something Jim hadn’t factored into his plans. Coral saw the uncertainty on his face and smiled. ‘Guess you didn’t think about that.’ She leaned over and picked up the USB, turning it over in her fingers. Then she chucked it back on the table. ‘Show it to him. It won’t matter because in three days the INL is going to intercept every run you’ve got on the go and be crawling all over this cay.’ She looked at Jim. ‘I am not an idiot. And I’m not going to let some teenager threaten me or fuck up a career making bust.’ She leaned back against the counter. ‘That’s your cue to go to your room by the way.’ Then she laughed._

_Jim didn’t hesitate. He reached out and picked up the heavy granite bowl that John kept salt in on the kitchen counter and threw it at her with unerring accuracy. He didn’t play cricket for nothing. It flew across the island and hit Coral right in the forehead before dropping to the floor with a bang. Her look of surprise was so comical that Jim burst out laughing. She raised her hand to her forehead, the bowl having left an actual dent in her head. She raised her dark eyes to meet his, and now Jim saw fear in them._

_Then she collapsed to the floor._

_Jim walked around the island and stood over her. Her eyes were glazed and he smiled to himself as the possibilities filled his head._

**********

John watched Ross and Jim with the pigs. Jim had been doing his best to try and remain dignified throughout the whole encounter, but then Ross had tackled him into the water and he’d gone down flailing. That had been enough to make John laugh, but not as much as the look of pure indignation on his son’s face when he’d surfaced.

Now Ross had Jim in a headlock and was trying to dunk him under the water. Jim was yelling and swearing but John knew that he wasn’t serious. He’d once seen Jim break a chokehold on himself inflicted by a man almost twice his size and knew that he wasn’t even trying to get away. That made him happier than he’d ever been.

Ross was teaching Jim how to play and, more importantly, Jim was learning.

‘A little help over here!’ Jim yelled at him and John shook his head, chuckling.

‘Sorry, lad.’ he called back. ‘You’re on your own.’

**********

_John got down from the Whaler and tied it off. He waited for Flint to hand own the supplies they had bought and then they started walking to the house._

_When they got there, it was eerily quiet._

_‘Where are they?’ Flint asked. John shook his head._

_‘No idea.’ he replied. He went into the kitchen and dumped everything down on the island, noticing that Jim had left his USB on the island. Then his gaze was caught by the empty salt pot. He reached out and picked it up, running his thumb along the rim and tracing over a chip that definitely hadn’t been there before. That all served to confuse him further._

_‘It’s like the Marie Celeste in here.’ Flint said, coming in behind him._

_‘Maybe they’re down at the beach.’ John said. He didn’t believe it though. Like Jim he had an uncanny nose for trouble and it was telling him something was very wrong. Flint noticed his disquiet._

_‘Why don’t you go down and check.’ he suggested._

_‘I think I will.’ John replied._

_He got to the edge of the grass and that was when he saw Jim. He went down onto the sand and jogged along to meet him, stopping as Jim walked out of the water. He had his wetsuit on, tank on his back and his flippers in one hand and weight belt in the other. His blond hair was dark with water and the look on his face was enough to stop John’s heart._

_‘Where’ve you been?’ he asked and Jim looked at him._

_‘Taking care of business.’ he replied and walked past him onto the beach. John watched him go, his stomach twisting as he realised the implication of his words. Then he looked back out at the open ocean, and realised with a sickening certainty that he would never see his daughter again._

***********

They were sailing back to the cay. To Ross’ surprise Jim had passed out almost as soon as he could find a flat surface to lie on.

He was now curled up asleep on the bench in the Whaler’s cabin, the hatch open so Ross could look in at him. In his current state Jim looked a lot younger than his twenty-eight years and Ross could almost imagine the teenager that he used to be.

‘You know he’s not going anywhere.’ John said and Ross looked up at him to see that there was a half smile on his face.

‘I know.’ he said. ‘I just like to watch him.’ He smiled back at John. ‘You do it too.’

‘Which is amusing considering that he is the one better equipped to protect us both.’ John replied.

‘Doesn’t stop us from loving him though.’ Ross said.

‘No,’ John’s voice was full of affection. ‘It doesn’t.’

***********

_Jim didn’t say anything._

_Later that night, after a dinner fraught with tension, he went into John’s study where his godfather was sitting and placed the USB in front of him._

_‘You once told me that we make family.’ he said. John didn’t look at him, his eyes fixed on the USB. ‘I did it to protect you. To protect us. Because you’re my family.’_

_John closed his eyes. He could hear the tears in Jim’s voice and it tore at him. When he opened them again, Jim had gone._

_He stared at the USB, then slowly reached for it and plugged it into his computer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The INL is the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.


	11. The Day Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get back to the cay.

They got back late in the afternoon and Jim finally woke up and ventured back on deck, his eyes soft and his hair a mess. Ross took one look at him and felt his heart melt. Even though they were both well aware that Jim was the dominant partner in their relationship, he felt very protective of him sometimes and his sleepy demeanour made him seem almost kittenish. He walked into Ross’ waiting arms, snuggling up against him. Ross smiled into his hair, not missing the look John was giving them.

They pulled up alongside the jetty and Jim climbed off the boat to go and secure the lines. He was moving slowly, and Ross could see he was still tired. Once the boat was moored, they unpacked the supplies they’d bought before they’d gone to search out the swimming pigs. It was only two days till Christmas, and the amount of food John had laid in was substantial. 

They met Flint halfway up to the house. He’d been strolling down the beach towards them, Bob at his heels like some sort of bizarre long dog. Ross was still jittery at the notion of a crocodile having free rein of the island and kept well behind Jim. Eventually Bob seemed to realise that there was nothing in the bags for him and retired to the cool of the lagoon.

‘I’m off to bed.’ Jim said, yawning expansively as they unloaded everything in the kitchen. 

‘That’s what happens when you stay out all night. ‘Flint was grinning at him as he walked out with a bucket of frozen fish heads for Bob. ‘Slut.’ Jim smiled and disappeared down the corridor. 

‘You can go with him.’ John said to Ross but he shook his head. 

‘I got more than he did.’ he replied. ‘I think he was awake thinking all night. You know what he’s like.’ He looked at John. ‘I’d like to stay and help if you’d like the company.’ His offer seemed to have surprised John but then was met with an approving look. 

‘Can you cook?’ he asked and Ross nodded. 

‘I can. Just don’t tell Jim how well.’ he said. 

‘Deal.’ John replied. He made room for Ross at the counter and they unpacked the groceries with John instructing him on where to put things. They worked in comfortable silence for a while and the John took a breath.

‘Did he tell you about him?’ he asked and Ross knew who he was referring to.

‘He did.’ he replied. ‘He also told me what happened to him.’

‘It wasn’t a happy time.’ John sighed and went to a cupboard. ‘Jim and Flint both took it very hard.’

‘He told me how he killed the men that did it.’ Ross said. ‘He also told me about Coral.’ He watched as John went rigid. He didn’t turn, and then it was like all the tension went out of him and his shoulders slumped.

‘She was setting us up to get put away for a long time.’ He came over and handed Ross a pair of large mixing bowls. ‘I should have known it was too good to be true.’ He went to the fridge and came back with a carton of egg whites and a pint of heavy cream. ‘Do you know how to whisk?’

‘I lived with my aunt in Normandy for four years. I know how to whisk.’ Ross said. He took the cream and John dug the utensil out of the drawer next to the cooker and handed it to him, then turned on the oven.

‘Stiff peaks.’ he said. ‘I want it so it doesn’t fall out the bowl.’ He took the cream and poured it into another bowl, grabbed a second whisk and started doing the same. ‘Did Jim tell you that I adopted him a week later?’

‘No.’ Ross said. ‘He didn’t.’

‘Figured that the child that was willing to kill to keep me safe was more my own that the one that wanted to sell my arse up the creek and put me in jail for a very long time.’ John said. ‘That little shebang fucked up the whole operation for six months. We couldn’t move. It pissed off everyone else as well.’ 

‘Would you mind me asking how you got into it?’ Ross said. ‘I’m not judging, I’m just interested.’

‘If you judged, you wouldn’t be here.’ John said. His whisking was considerably better than Ross’ efforts. ‘It wasn’t a big deal. I worked on a yacht for someone who was in the industry so to speak. He got me started. Then I went into business for myself. All you really need is the tenacity and guts to step in and take what you want.’ His smile was wolfish. ‘Jim’s a bit like that. He told me that he stalked you and I somehow get the idea that he wasn’t joking.’

‘He wasn’t.’ Ross felt a pleasant thrum at the memory. ‘Your son is a man who knows what he wants.’

‘That he is.’ John was now taking a bag of frozen berries out of the freezer. He came back and put them down, then inspected Ross’ handiwork. ‘Keep going.’ Ross blew his hair out of his face and continued whisking.

‘He went to New York after the thing with Andres, didn’t he?’ he asked and John nodded. 

‘He was so angry.’ He said. ‘But you know Jim, you see nothing on the surface. When he got back from Venezuela he was different, like all the humanity had been drained out of him.’

‘Do you know what he did?’ Ross asked. 

‘He never told me, but I knew he’d killed the men responsible. First love is very powerful and it can make us do crazy things. I found out the specifics later.’ John took out a jar of sugar and then relieved Ross of the bowl. He added a teaspoon of it and started whisking again. ‘It horrified me.’

‘But you know why he did it.’ Ross said. He watched John’s face carefully. 

‘I understand that he felt driven to do it.’ John looked at Ross, his blue-grey eyes steady. ‘I’ve killed seven people in my life. All of them were business and a case of me or them.’ He looked down at the meringue he was mixing. ‘I’ve never understood why or how Jim takes pleasure in it.’ His eyes were shrewd when they looked up again. ‘But I guess you do.’ The sudden realisation hit Ross.

‘You think he’s a monster.’ he said.

‘I don’t think.’ John said. ‘I know he is.’

‘But you still love him.’ Ross was a little astonished.

‘Of course I do.’ John said. ‘He’s my monster.’ Then his grin reappeared. ‘Or should I say our monster.’ 

‘He’s not yours anymore.’ Ross said with complete assurance. ‘He belongs to me now.’ Their eyes locked and held. Then John nodded.

‘Yes, I can see that.’

*********

In the room down the hall, Jim was half in and half out of sleep. He’d found the picture and was now lying on the bed and looking at it. He couldn’t believe how young he looked, how young they both looked. It had been taken about four months before Andres was killed. He swiped his thumb over Andres’ face, and closed his eyes. If he concentrated, he could just remember what Andres smelled like, the sound of his voice. They had shared this bed so many times, lying and talking together. But now it felt like the weight of those memories had lifted with what had happened the past two days. 

He shifted and turned, listening to the dull murmur of the voices in the kitchen and wondered what they were talking about. It was going far better than he could have possibly anticipated, and he could already see that John and Flint had accepted Ross wholeheartedly, not that he’d anticipated anything else but it was very gratifying to see that was the case. 

There was the sound of Flint coming in from outside and then the two voices became three. Jim huffed softly to himself and closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly.

**********

‘Where the fuck did you find that?’ John was staring at the box in Flints’ arms. 

‘Generator shed.’ Flint was grinning like a man possessed. ‘I thought seeing that Ross is here and this is kind of special occasion…’ His eyes met John’s. ‘Unless you think it’s a bad idea.’ John shook his head. 

‘It’s great idea.’ he replied. ‘I can’t remember the last we put it up.’

‘Eight years ago.’ Flint replied. ‘When we thought he was coming back that first time.’

‘Oh yeah.’ Jim smiled, and it was tinge with sadness. ‘It took three years for him to come back.’

‘Really?’ Ross asked. Flint had put the box on the table and he was now peering inside it. ‘He didn’t come back for three years?’

‘No.’ Flint started taking decoration out and putting them on the table. ‘He didn’t really feel like being here for a while. He wasn’t in a good place.’ He sighed. ‘He came back the next year and he seemed a little better, but we never really celebrated like we’d used to.’ Something about that clicked at the back of Ross’ head and he thought back to a documentary about seven men stretched out looking at the stars with their eyes cut out. 

‘Have you got a tree?’ he asked and Flint nodded. 

‘It’s still in the shed.’ he replied. ‘I’ll go get it.’ He left them and walked back out towards the terrace. John came to join Ross and surveyed the decorations. He picked up a tarnished silver bauble.

‘Christ, these are old.’ he said. ‘Some of these I bought the first Christmas I had Jim with me on the cay.’ 

‘I never really liked Christmas.’ Ross said. ‘My family is very traditional. I spend almost all Christmas morning in church and then have to sit through an appallingly badly cooked lunch and get shit I really don’t want.’

‘Sounds like fun.’ John deadpanned. ‘Well, Christmas here largely consists of us eating extremely inappropriate food and drinking until we pass out and go to bed.’ 

‘Now that does sound like fun.’ Ross grinned. ‘Have you ever had a French martini?’

‘No.’ John was smiling now. ‘But I have a feeling I’m going to.’

‘Found it!’ Flint sounded triumphant. He came back in with another box, long and narrow and looking very worse for wear. 

‘Let’s just hope it’s in one piece.’ John said. ‘The living room?’ 

‘Sounds good.’ Flint said. ‘Bring the box, Ross. You can help me figure out if this thing is still in one piece.’ Ross looked at John and he nodded.

‘Go.’ he said. ‘I’ll finish this.’ Ross packed up the decorations and picked the box up before he followed Flint into the living room. Flint had opened the box he was carrying and taken out a very moth eaten looking artificial Christmas tree. It was green and a little faded in places but he smiled broadly at Ross and started to put it together. 

‘Have you got him something for Christmas?’ he asked. Ross took out several ropes of tinsel from the box and came over. He handed some to Flint and they started draping them around the tree. 

‘I have.’ he said. ‘It’s something I’ll think he’ll like.’ He didn’t elaborate though and Flint didn’t ask. 

‘He always loved getting Christmas presents when he was little.’ Flint said. ‘John would go all out at Christmas. He would buy whatever Jim wanted.’ 

‘And what did he want?’ Ross was quite tickled at the idea of child Jim opening presents.

‘Books mostly.’ Flint said. ‘Sometimes he wanted other things, but mostly books.’ He chuckled. ‘One year he wanted a chemistry set. That was the beginning of the end.’

‘It’s seems kind of strange that he has a PhD in it.’ Ross said. ‘I keep learning things about him and being blown away by how accomplished he is.’ 

‘He’s a bright boy.’ Flint said. ‘But with that came other things. It hasn’t been the easiest but John and I did the best we could.’

‘Well, I think he’s wonderful.’ Ross was aware he was smiling goofily. ‘You two made very good parents.’ Flint looked a little startled.

‘That’s the first time anyone’s ever said that.’ He sounded thoughtful. ‘I guess we did.’

**********

Jim woke up to the sound of laughter and Fairytale in New York. For a moment he was lost, not knowing where he was but then the room came into view, the dim light indicating that the sun had gone down already. Then he heard the laughter and it was a sound that he hadn’t realised he’d missed as much as he had until he heard it again.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The music seemed so out of place. It seemed like an age since he’d really celebrated Christmas. Usually he hid himself away or came down on the agreement that they didn’t really do anything. He got up and went to the bathroom to splash water in his face and wake himself up properly. He walked out the room and down the hall to the living room, and then did a double take as he saw the two men dancing together on the terrace. It struck him that he hadn’t seen this for a while. Flint and John hadn’t been this happy around him for a very long time and he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt at the fact that he had taken this for granted. 

‘Hey.’ Ross’ voice made him turn. He was wearing an apron with the words Kiss The Cook written on it and had a smear of icing sugar on one cheek. Jim decided to take the invitation and stepped up to him then put his hand to Ross’ face and drew him in to kiss him. 

‘You taste like meringue.’ he said and Ross grinned and kissed him again. 

‘You haven’t even noticed.’ he said a little accusingly. Jim frowned and Ross sighed and turned him around. That was when Jim saw the Christmas tree and his exclamation of surprise made Ross beam. 

‘Who…’ he started and Ross nodded at Flint and John. 

‘They thought it would be a nice surprise.’ he said, feeling rather smug at the strange mixture of confusion and delight on Jim’s face. ‘They said we could put the presents under it, but I think I’d rather give you yours when we wake up.’ 

‘You bought me a present?’ Jim was teasing. ‘And I didn’t get you anything.’

‘Like hell you didn’t.’ Ross said confidently. ‘I know you did.’

‘Maybe.’ Jim replied. ‘Spoiled brat.’ 

‘So you keep saying.’ Ross replied. He looked at where Flint was making an attempt to dip John and laughed. ‘Although I think this will probably be the best present I’ve ever got.’ 

‘What?’ Jim asked and Ross bumped his nose against Jim’s. 

‘All this.’ he said. ‘My new family.’ He wrapped both arms around Jim’s neck. ‘Maybe next year they can come to us.’ 

‘I am not putting up a tree.’ Jim said. ‘At least not one as moth-eaten as that one.’ 

‘We can get a real one.’ Ross said. ‘It’s the one nice thing about my family Christmases. A real tree and glass ornaments.’ 

‘And you cooking?’ Jim raised an eyebrow at him. ‘I know what you’ve been up to. The evidence is all over your face.’ He licked his thumb and dragged it across the sugar and then sucked it off, watching how Ross’ eyes followed the movement, heat flickering in their hazel depths. 

‘I was helping.’ Ross protested. ‘I don’t cook.’

‘Liar.’ Jim said. ‘The question is have you finished? I feel like swimming.’ He tried to inject meaning into what he was saying and saw Ross’ eyes widen slightly.

‘It’s dark.’ he said. 

‘So?’ Jim asked. ‘The water will still be warm.’ He watched Ross mull things over.

‘All right.’ he replied, his hands going to untie the apron. ‘Just let me get changed.’

‘No.’ Jim said. ‘I was serious about the no clothes thing. Besides, I have a bet to pay up on.’ He took the apron from Ross’ hands and chucked it over a chair. ‘Come on, we’ll be back in time for dinner.’

'No.' This call came from the terrace and they turned to see John coming in. 'We have not been slaving over a hot stove for the last three hours so you can go shag on the beach and everything dries out.' He gave Jim a stern look. 'You're going to be sociable and eat dinner and then you two can bugger off and do what you like.'

'But...' Jim started and was interrupted.

'Dinner first.' John said. He walked past Ross. 'Come on, lad. Let's show them what we've been up to.' 

'For fuck's sake.' Jim huffed and Ross gave him an apologetic grin and walked after John into the kitchen. Flint came in from outside.

'So, what do you think?' he asked and nodded at the Christmas tree.

'I think you need to get a new tree.' Jim said. 'And that John needs to stop shanghaing my boyfriend.' Flint laughed.

'Your dad likes him.' he said. 'So do I.' He put his hand on Jim's shoulder. 'We're glad you're back.' Jim smiled at him.

'So am I.' he replied.


	12. Phosporescence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner...

Dinner was good but it went on for far too long by Jim’s reckoning. He watched his parental figures and his boyfriend and the mutual love in that was currently going on. It had come as a bit of a shock to realise that the genial charm that John had was also the same thing that he found so disarming about Ross and he started watching their interactions a bit more closely. It was soon apparent that they were extremely similar in their manner of speaking and the way they behaved.

Fuck.’ he said and the two of them stopped talking and looked at him.

‘What?’ John asked and Jim sighed and leaned his chin on his hand.

‘Oh, nothing.’ he said and they went back to their conversation. Then Jim noticed Flint grinning at him.

‘You finally noticed.’ he said to him, voice pitching low so the others couldn’t hear. 

‘Shut up.’ Jim retorted. Flint chuckled.

‘Well, they always say women marry their fathers. I would expect the same to apply to you.’ he said and Jim glowered. While part of him was thrilled at how well John and Ross were getting along, the other part was internally rolling his eyes. 

‘Hang on a minute.’ John’s words caught his attention, especially when his adopted father got up and walked inside. He looked at Ross and was greeted by a broad smile.

‘Where is he going?’ he asked and Ross shrugged, still smiling.

‘I have no idea.’ he replied in the tone that told Jim he knew exactly where John was going. Jim started to get deeply suspicious. His fears were substantiated when John returned not five minutes later with a maroon leather bound photo album in his hands. 

‘Oh, hell no.’ he said, starting to get up out of his chair to intercept John, but Flint was too quick for him. He got both arms around Jim, restraining him as John walked past with a maniacal twinkle in his blue eyes. 

‘Not a chance, lad.’ he said, sounding more smug than Jim had ever heard him. ‘It’s very seldom that I get to indulge my privileges as a father and I intend to take full advantage.’ 

‘You sneaky old bastard.’ Jim said, wriggling against the hold Flint had on him. It was to no avail though. Flint was as strong as he was from a lifetime of sailing and wrangling rival drug runners. ‘I’m going to smother you in your sleep and feed you to Bob.’

‘Stop being so dramatic.’ John sat down next to Ross and handed him the album. ‘You’re going to love this.’ This was addressed to Ross, who was watching the little wrestling match with unconcealed delight.

‘I’m sure I will.’ he replied and opened the album, his expression changing as he took in the photographs inside. He looked up at Jim, his hazel eyes dancing. ‘Oh my fuck, you were fucking adorable.’ John winked at Flint over Jim’s shoulder.  
‘He was the cutest little shit.’ he said then gave Jim an appraising look. ‘I often wonder what happened.’

‘Fuck you, old man.’ Jim retorted then heaved a martyred sigh and stopped struggling. Flint sensed him admitting defeat and let him go, and they returned to their respective chairs. Jim reached over and grabbed the whiskey bottle, topping up his glass. ‘If we’re doing this, I need to be hammered.’

‘You look like a fucking choir boy.’ Ross was happily flicking through the photographs. ‘Jesus, the things I could have gotten away with if I’d looked like that.’

‘That angel face was one of his best assets.’ John said, he was now leaning over the arm of his chair, looking with Ross. ‘I swear that Jim managed to single-handedly smuggle more cocaine into the UK than all my other carriers put together.’

‘And I didn’t have to shove it up my arse.’ Jim snorted. He now had his arms folded, resignation on his face. ‘Only you would think making a ten year old carry Class A drugs was a good idea.’

‘A fucking brilliant idea that paid for your education and your apartment.’ John said over his glass. ‘Let’s not be an ungrateful brat.’ That got a wry smile from Jim. 

‘Fine.’ he said, holding up his hands. ‘I shall face my humiliation with dignity.’

‘Excellent.’ John said and turned to Ross. ‘Because there’s another four of these in my room, charting his growth from the time he was ten until he was sixteen and suddenly developed a phobia of being photographed.’ They looked at Jim who now had his head down, shaking it in disbelief.

‘What the fuck did I do to be saddled with you lot?’ he muttered.

The evening progressed until the sky was a deep velvety black sprinkled with stars and lit by a mon that cast a light almost as bright as morning. Flint was now in charge of the humiliation, telling Ross everything he could about Jim’s teenage years. And because they were now aware of how much Ross knew and also privy to the fact that Ross was like him, there were no holds barred.

‘So this big fucker looks him up and down and tells him that there’s no way he’s going to talk.’ He shuffled with amusement into his glass. ‘That was a mistake.’

‘What did he do?’ Ross’ hazel eyes were wide and he looked like he was on the edge of his seat. 

‘He kicked him in the shin and then head-butted him when he bent over.’ Flint said proudly. ‘Not even five foot fucking eight and he brought that motherfucker to his knees.’

‘He was an idiot.’ Jim muttered into his own glass. ‘He fucking deserved it.’ 

‘I taught him that.’ John pointed out. 

‘You seemed to have had quite the education.’ Ross said. Jim noticed that the colour in his cheeks was high. That and the starry eyes meant Ross was very drunk indeed. 

‘The school of hard knocks.’ Flint proclaimed. He reached for the whisky bottle, frowning when he realised it was empty. ‘Damn, we’ve run out.’ He started to get out of his chair and Jim saw his opportunity.

‘And that’s time.’ he said, putting his own glass down and getting up. ‘You said be sociable and I’ve been more than that.’ He walked over to Ross. ‘I’m taking him back now.’

‘Ha!’ John said. His face was red from drink and he looked thoroughly relaxed. ‘You’ll never be able to get it up in your condition.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ Jim retorted. ‘My constitution is a fuck load better than yours.’ He took Ross’ arm and hauled him out of the chair. ‘Come on, you. I think a nice sobering swim is just what you need.’

‘I’ll drown.’ Ross protested. 

‘No, you won’t.’ Jim assured him. ‘I’ll be holding you up.’ He inclined his head at the other two. ‘We’ll see you in the morning.’

‘Don’t break my son-in-law.’ John said, nose in his tumbler and his voice coming out muffled. ‘I’m taking him fishing tomorrow.’

‘Christ.’ Jim herded Ross in front of him, catching him as he almost fell down the stairs. ‘That’s all I fucking need. Good night.’

‘Night.’ they chorused back and then Jim got Ross down the stairs and onto the grass. They walked through the patchy trees until they got to the beach. The moonlight was bright enough for them to see the way clearly, but when they got to the beach there was another source of illumination.

‘What is that?’ Ross sounded enchanted and Jim smiled. 

‘It’s bioluminescent algae.’ he replied as they approached the water’s edge. ‘It happens quite a lot down here.’

‘It’s so pretty.’ Ross went over to where the waves were gently lapping at the sand and laughed as the water ran over his feet, the movement stirring up the microscopic plants and making them shine an exquisite shade of deep blue. The water retreated and left behind tiny sprinkles of light and when Ross moved his feet, the footprints he left behind were outlined by them. He looked at Jim, his smile visible even in the dark.

‘It’s even better in the water.’ Jim said. ‘They shine when you agitate them.’ 

‘Like you.’ Ross snickered. ‘You are so cute when you’re put out.’ 

‘Fuck off.’ Jim said, but he returned the smile. He watched Ross stamp along the waterline for a few minutes, then decided to take matters into hand. If he had to wait for the overgrown child he was living with, it would take all night. He reached back over his head and pulled his t-shirt off, discarding it on the sand, then did the same with his shorts. Being on the cay usually meant going commando and so those were the only layers to deal with. Then he waited for Ross to notice.  
Ross was so enamoured with the sparkling blue lights that it took few moments before he did, but when he did the effect was instantaneous. His eyes went wide and before Jim could speak he was in Jim’s space, hands on Jim’s face and kissing him in the wonderfully reckless way he did when he was drunk.

Jim responded, slowing the pace down and taking control of it. He tugged at Ross’ t-shirt and Ross obediently lifted his arms for Jim to pull it off. Then he turned his attention to Ross’ shorts, undoing them and pushing them down so Ross could kick them off. Ross was laughing frantically now, getting tangled in his shorts and almost toppling over as he tried to get them off and kiss Jim at the same time. Eventually Jim got sick of being slobbered on and bent down far enough to get Ross around the waist and haul him over his shoulder. Ross made a very unmanly sound and then actually shrieked as they got into deeper water and his toes went in. 

‘It’s fucking cold.’ he whined as he tried to wriggle off of Jim’s shoulder. In retaliation, Jim dumped him in the water and Ross came up spluttering. ‘You absolute bastard!’ he launched himself at Jim and they ended up both underwater. There was a moment of thrashing around and they came up, shaking water out of their eyes and laughing breathlessly. In Ross’ defence, Jim realised that it was a little cold. It didn’t bother him too much, but he could see that Ross’ skin was goosebumped, his nipples hardened as the cool night air hit them. He was busy tucking his wet ringlets behind his ears and Jim felt his stomach lurch from how gorgeous he looked like that, the blue lights pooling around his hips.

‘I’m sorry, baby.’ he said and held out his arms. ‘Come over here and I’ll warm you up.’ 

‘You’d better.’ Ross said, wading towards him. Their cold skin connected and he shivered. Jim wrapped both arms around him, kissing his collar bone in apology. 

‘What do you want?’ he murmured against Ross’ wet skin. ‘You can have anything.’ Ross rested his chin on his shoulder.

‘Can I have you?’ he asked. ‘Forever?’

‘You’ve already got me.’ Jim replied. ‘Forever.’ He felt Ross smile and then there was a hand on his chest, stealthily moving down until it got to his cock. Jim inhaled sharply as it wrapped around him and tightened just enough. 

‘In that case, seeing as I have you already, I want this.’ Ross voice had dipped and it make a shiver go down Jim’s spine. ‘I want it inside me.’ His hand was now moving and Jim bit down on his shoulder as the pleasure started to course through him. 

‘Anything…’ he breathed. His own hands were now moving, his fingers drifting across Ross’ shoulders and down his chest until he felt the hardened nipples and ran his thumbs over them, repeating the action when he got a loud moan. He bit at Ross’ collar bone, running his tongue along it and tasting salt. 

‘Fuck…’ Ross’ voice was rough. He tilted his head, an open invitation that Jim took as he kissed along the line of Ross’ shoulder. He reached around him, hands running down Ross’ back, then kissed down until he could lick at his chest, tracing lines of wet hair with his tongue before turning his attention to the still-hard nipples. Ross was panting softly, his own fingers now digging into the skin of Jim’s hips. 

‘Fuck me.’ he moaned. ‘Christ I want you so much.’ 

‘Actually, I don’t think this is going to work.’ Jim said, letting his fingers dip into the curve of Ross’ backside. ‘Fucking in the water is probably not a very good idea.’

‘It will be.’ Ross reached for Jim’s hand, guiding it lower. Jim chuckled and pulled his hand away. 

‘I have a better one.’ he said and then took a deep breath and submerged. Ross blinked the water out of his eyes and then realised what Jim was up to. Under the water, Jim went to work. It wasn’t too different from doing it out of the water. He took Ross in his mouth, letting his cock slide in slowly and moving his head only slightly. He had his hands braced on Ross’ hips and felt him shake under his touch as he sucked hard and gently by turns. He was very adept at holding his breath and when he finally came up for air it was to the sight of Ross with his head back, panting into the quiet. Jim smile and went back down, the taste of pre-come on his tongue when he took Ross back in. Ross was moving, tiny thrusts into his mouth that made Jim want to turn him around and just slam into him. Instead he kept going, using his tongue against the head of Ross’ cock until he felt Ross’ body tighten up and then he came, a burst of bitterness in Jim’s mouth and he swallowed convulsively. He surfaced and got pulled up, Ross’ mouth on his and his tongue pushing in to taste himself in Jim’s mouth. They separated and Jim smiled. 

‘Good?’ he asked. Ross nodded, still shaking a little from the aftershocks.

‘Very fucking good.’ he breathed. ‘Jesus, I feel like my head just exploded.’ He leaned heavily against Jim. ‘I am happy to reciprocate but I don’t think I can hold my breath that long.’ He smiled, his hand going back down below the water line. 'And this is still not in me.’ Jim laughed. 

‘We don’t have anything.’ he protested and Ross almost growled at him.

‘In me.’ he repeated, quite a bit louder and in a rather demanding tone. He turned around and backed up against Jim, rubbing his arse up against Jim’s cock. ‘I don’t care if it hurts. I want you now.’

‘Fuck, all right.’ Jim replied. ‘Demanding.’ He wrapped one arm around Ross’ waist and slid his other hand down Ross’ back, feeling the smoothness of Ross’ wet skin. He stopped briefly to kiss between Ross’ shoulder blades, then pressed in. Ross inhaled deeply as Jim’s finger went in, but it was calm and he tipped his head back as Jim moved it just enough.

‘You fucking kill me when you go that slow.’ he breathed. Jim smiled into his back.

‘You’re so impatient.’ he murmured. ‘No self-control at all.’

‘Not when you’re concerned.’ Ross replied, whining as Jim twisted his finger just right and found his prostate. It was a little tight, but he enjoyed the burn more than he would ever confess. He reached back, his hand going to the back of Jim’s neck. He was pushing into Jim’s hand, his breathing starting to shorten. Jim looked down at where the movements of Ross’ hips was setting off a series of bright blue waves. Then the rush hit him and he pulled his finger out. Ross made a questioning noise, but Jim reached up, his hand over Ross’ mouth and then tightened his grip on him. He took a deep breath, then steeled himself. 

‘I think about things.’ he whispered. ‘Coming here on the yacht made me think. About us. How fucking hot it was having you like that, just letting me take what I wanted. That maybe now I can ask for things I’ve never been able to ask for before.’ He licked at the back of Ross’ neck. ‘How I do want to fuck you till it hurts. But I worry that I might push too hard and chase you away.’ He wasn’t sure what he was anticipating, but the shudder than ran through Ross’ body made him realise that maybe Ross had been thinking about that too. He took his hand away from Ross’ mouth.

‘Do it.’ Ross said, his voice low. It felt like his whole body was thrumming with anticipation. ‘I want you to. I want you to own me.’ Jim dragged his fingers across Ross’ mouth and caught his breath when Ross took them in, his mouth warm. When he took them out they were wet and Jim stuck them back under the water, pushing them in with no thought for gentleness. Ross hissed loudly, but didn’t struggle. 

‘Please…’ he whined. ‘Harder.’ Jim complied, the movement of his hand setting off its own light show. He felt Ross’ body ease around them and couldn’t wait anymore. He pulled both fingers out and turned Ross back around. 

‘Come here.’ he demanded, arousal making his own voice rough. ‘Put your legs around me.’ Ross moved right up against him and Jim reached for him, the water making him easy to lift. Ross got both arms around his neck and they kissed, their movements now almost frantic. Jim held him up with one hand and guided himself in with the other. It dragged a little and he was sure that it was hurting, but Ross moaned in his ear and then tightened his legs, more or less impaling himself on Jim’s cock with a choked off cry. Jim started to ask if he wanted to stop, but Ross yanked his head back, fingers tugging hard on his hair, and kissed him almost brutally. It was enough to kick start the flood of desire inside him and Jim dragged his nails along the skin of his lower back and started to thrust up into him. Ross moved as well, pushing down into every thrust, his desperate moans stifled by Jim’s mouth. 

It was rough and lacked any finesse, and then Ross bit down on his lower lip and Jim gritted his teeth against the pain, tasting his own blood and feeling the excitement coursing through him go up a notch. He picked up the pace and Ross went with it, breaking away from his to throw his head back. His cries were loud and Jim matched them with his own, both of them bucking against each other as if they were doing their best to break one another. He let go with one hand, reaching between them to take Ross’ cock in hand, jerking him off quick and hard until Ross was almost screaming, his fingers tangled so tightly in Jim’s hair it made his scalp burn.

‘Fuck, come on.’ There was no control left in him now. ‘Fuck me…’ His body went rigid and he came so hard, Jim had to hang onto him. ‘Oh God…God…yes…’ Warmth flooded his hand, and then he let himself go and followed, biting down on Ross’ collar bone as he came inside him. 

It took a few moments to come down, the heat inside him making Jim feel weak at the knees. Ross had his forehead on his shoulder, his ragged breaths warming Jim’s skin. Then he lifted his head and Jim could see his eyes were shining even in the dark.

‘God, I love you.’ he murmured and then peppered Jim’s face with kisses. ‘You’re such a fucking pervert.’

‘Takes one to know one.’ Jim retorted, but he was too blissed out to take offence. He nosed at Ross and they kissed again, Ross licking over his bitten lip in apology. ‘But, I love you too.’ Ross hummed his approval, still licking at the bite on Jim’s lip.

‘We’re going to fucking break each other one day.’ he said and Jim chuckled. 

‘You can break me whenever you want.’ he replied. ‘I happen to find it very enjoyable.’

‘Give me a few minutes and I’ll do just that.’ Ross said. Then something caught Jim’s eye.

‘That might not be the best idea.’ he said. He had noticed movement in the water with them and was now grinning like mad. Ross pulled back and frowned at him.

‘Why not?’ he asked and Jim nodded behind him. He looked over his shoulder and nearly yelled in fright. 

Bob was a long shadow surrounded by bright blue light. He was floating right behind Ross, his muzzle within touching distance.

‘He’s the bloody pervert.’ Jim said, struggling to keep the laughter out of his voice. He reached out and patted the water. 

‘Don’t fucking call him over.’ Ross hissed. He was now clinging to Jim, and Jim adjusted his position so one arm was around Ross’ waist.

‘It’s fine.’ he said reassuringly. ‘He’s just curious. We were probably making a lot of disturbance.’ Ross shifted even closer as the crocodile floated close enough for Jim to run his hand along the leathery muzzle and onto the scaly head. Bob allowed himself to be petted and then moved to swim past, a brilliant trail of lights marking his passage through the lagoon.

‘Right.’ Ross said firmly. ‘Time to get out.’ He moved away from Jim and Jim slipped out of him, letting him down. Once Ross had found his feet he clamped Jim’ hand in his, and literally towed him towards the beach. They walked out of the water and got to where their clothes had been discarded, gathering them up. 

‘Race you to the house.’ Jim said. He was also now shivering, his libido rapidly going down from the chill in the air. 

‘Can we have a shower?’ Ross asked, falling in step with him. ‘Also, aren’t they going to be a little surprised by us turning up naked?’

‘They’re probably already in bed.’ Jim said. ‘Or they’re fucking, which is what they tend to do when they get pissed.’ He laughed at Ross’ scandalised look. ‘Where do you think I got my unnatural tendencies from? It’s actually kind of romantic when you think about it. They’ve been with all these other people and they keep coming back to each other.’

‘I wouldn’t do that.’ Ross said, tightening his grip on Jim’s hand. ‘Now I’ve got you, you are not getting away from me.’ 

They made it into the gardens and up to the steps and climbed up to the house. True to Jim’s prediction it was in darkness. They went inside, treading quietly. When they got to Jim’s room, they shut the door behind them and Jim went into the bathroom to start the shower. Ross folded up their clothes, managing to get sand pretty much everywhere. He went into the bathroom and got in behind Jim, arms around him.

‘So what’s in store for me tomorrow?’ he asked. ‘Seeing as I’m going fishing with your dad?’ 

‘A long day for you.’ Jim replied. He leaned his head into the water. ‘And a whole bunch of peace and quiet for me.’

‘Boring.’ Ross declared. ‘Seriously, what are you going to do?’

‘Maybe get back into old habits.’ Jim said cryptically and Ross snorted. 

They got out and dried off, then padded back into the room and got into bed. Ross curled around Jim, his long legs tangling with his and his face in Jim’s neck. 

‘I’m tired now.’ he murmured and Jim smiled, stroking the damp curls off Ross’ face before his kissed him on the forehead. Ross sighed happily and snuggled down further.

‘So go to sleep beautiful boy.’ he said. ‘We can have more fun tomorrow.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have it on good authority from the GBF that this scenario is not only possible, but has also been done by himself on several occasions.
> 
> Lucky bugger...


	13. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only one day to go...

Ross woke up in the morning and immediately felt for Jim. His hand found only the empty bed and his eyes flew open. That was when he saw Jim sitting in his chair, feet up on the bed. He was in one of his sarongs, the blue and black mottled tie dye one that Ross thought made him look like a gorgeous hippie. 

Then he noticed the open sketch pad on Jim’s lap.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, half lifting himself up from where he was lying on his stomach and Jim half-smiled smiled, dimples hovering at the corners of his mouth.

‘None of your business.’ he replied and kept sketching. ‘And stay still, I’m almost done.’ 

Ross huffed. He fell back down and stayed where he was, watching the way Jim focused, a tiny line between his brows. He looked beautiful like that and Ross felt the first stirrings of desire. He stretched and thrust down into the bed, and his body responded quickly, his cock hardening as he kept his eyes fixed on Jim. 

‘Stop that.’ Jim said without even looking at him. ‘I literally need another five minutes and then I’ll fuck you.’ Ross sighed in exaggerated impatience. He stretched again, catlike and indolent and this got a warning twitch of an eyebrow. His cock was completely hard now, and Ross wriggled against the bed, feeling the delicious frisson the friction bought. 

‘Actually, on second thought.’ Jim looked thoughtful. ‘Are you hard?’

‘I always am around you.’ Ross replied and smiled at the pleased look that got him. He managed to work his hand between his body and the bed, grasping his cock and thrusting into his grip. 

‘Turn over.’ Jim said. Ross obeyed, noting the way Jim’s breathing caught for just a second when he saw Ross’ cock. He turned to a fresh page and started drawing again. Ross kept up his lazy ministrations, tightening and loosening his grip by turns. He threw his other hand above his head to grab the pillow.

‘Yes.’ Jim said. ‘That’s perfect. Don’t move.’ Ross grinned and looked at him. Jim drew quickly, the sound of the charcoal scratchy as it moved over the paper. 

‘Is this what you meant by old habits?’ he asked. 

‘Maybe.’ Jim said. He gave Ross a quick glance. ‘To be honest I really don’t know why I haven’t drawn you before. You have wonderful lines.’ He gave Ross a critical look. ‘Open your legs more.’ His eyes raked over Ross’ body. ‘You really do have the most beautiful cock.’ 

Ross took the compliment, feeling inordinately happy at the praise he was getting. He slowed down, rubbing his thumb over the head and feeling how the pre-come slicked its way. 

‘I want you.’ he said. ‘I want your cock inside me.’

‘In a minute.’ Jim said. Ross knew that he was trying to focus, but there was no hiding the way his sarong was now tented. In spite of that he remained still sketching out the last few lines and shading in some places. Then he stopped.

‘All done.’ he said, closing the sketch pad.

‘Can I see?’ Ross asked and Jim nodded.

‘After.’ he said and stood up. He dropped his sarong and Ross saw how hard he was. Jim walked into the bathroom, coming back with the lube. He chucked it to Ross. ‘Move up the bed.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Ross scooted up until he could grab the pillows and build them into a mound behind him. He reached for the lube and opened it, holding his cock upright as he poured a thick stream over the head, putting it to one side and slicking himself up. He started to stroke himself again, moving so slowly it was borderline torture. Jim got onto the bed and knelt between his spread legs. He reached for the lube and then upended it and poured more all over Ross’ crotch. He dragged his fingers through Ross’ pubic hair, cupping his balls and spreading the wetness below. He took his time, thumb massaging Ross’ perineum until Ross was panting hard, then slipped in his middle finger. Ross watched him, his mouth open as he moaned. He was so wet that the air was chilling his skin. Jim gave him his crooked smile and leaned over, balancing on one hand while still working his finger in and out with the other. He bent his head to Ross’ nipple, licking softly and looking up at him. Ross reached down with his clean hand and ran it through Jim’s hair. 

‘In me.’ he breathed. Jim’s eyes narrowed slightly and he bit Ross’ nipple hard, getting a yelp. 

‘When I’m ready.’ he said. A second finger probed and then pushed inside Ross and he arched up into Jim’s mouth, moaning as Jim sucked hard. 

‘Fuck…’ he breathed. ‘That’s so good…’ Jim smiled against his chest and then turned his fingers slightly and pressed in against Ross’ prostate. He kept the tough light, stroking just enough to make Ross’ whole body shake. He lifted his head.

‘Come on, beautiful boy.’ he said, the insistence in his voice making Ross whine. ‘I want you to go crazy on my fingers. Then I’m going to fuck you until you’re screaming.’ 

‘Your dad will hear.’ Ross protested and then almost giggled at what he’d just said. 

‘So let him hear.’ Jim moved to the other nipple and flicked it with his tongue. He pressed in harder and Ross keened at the borderline painful pleasure of the touch. ‘It’s not like him and Flint haven’t tormented me with their incredibly loud fucking.’ 

‘Oh God…’ Ross arched back as he felt the first tremors inside him. ‘Harder…’ Jim complied, his hand driving hard and Ross held on just long enough to match his hand to the speed. It felt like it always did, like he was filled with helium and could just float away on how good it was. Then Jim pulled his hand away from his cock and took his fingers out. He reached down, rolling Ross over onto his stomach then picked up the lube.

‘Hold yourself open for me.’ He instructed. ‘I want you so wet, my cock will just slide right in.’ Ross reached behind himself and whined into the bed as he felt Jim pour the lube right into him, three fingers sliding home afterwards. The noises were filthy as he worked it in. It was all over Ross’ backside and coating the inside of his thighs. ‘That’s good. I want you head down and arse up.’ 

Ross moved into position and waited, expecting Jim to drive into him. Instead he got off the bed. 

‘What the fuck are you doing?’ he asked and Jim chuckled. He came into view, phone in hand. 

‘For later.’ he said. ‘I’m going to paint you like this.’ He moved to the foot of the bed and Ross heard the camera going off. Then the phone landed on the bed behind him and he found himself being hauled right to the edge, his feet hanging off in empty space. Jim ran his thumbs over Ross’ entrance, pulling him open. 

‘So fucking pretty.’ he said and then the head of his cock was there, rubbing over where his fingers had just been. ‘All tight and wet for me.’ He pushed in just enough so the head of his cock went in and Ross moaned, his head cushioned on his arms. ‘My beautiful whore with his legs spread.’ He thrust once and his cock slid home easily, but then he stilled. Ross lifted his head just enough.

‘Please.’ he said, his voice broken. ‘Please Jim, move.’ 

‘Beg me for it.’ Jim sounded unhinged. ‘Beg me to fuck you.’ 

‘Please, babe.’ Ross was plaintive. ‘I need it. I need you to make me come.’ He was wriggling in anticipation, then felt Jim pull out and drive in hard enough to make him shift up the bed a bit. The extra leverage he had from being on his feet and the angle of his thrusts drove his cock directly onto Ross’ prostate and he cried out as the pleasure made him deaf and blind to anything else around him. Jim took him by the hips, driving in hard and quick, his own panting getting progressively louder. 

The whole bed shook and Ross reached between his legs, his still wet hand going to his cock and stroking in time with Jim’s thrusts. He felt it coming, even more intense than it had threatened to be, and he screamed into the bed as he came, cum all over his hand and on the bed. Behind him, Jim matched him in volume and pushed in one last time, coming deep inside him and shaking uncontrollably. Their heavy breathing filled the room and Jim leaned over to rest his forehead against Ross’ back. 

‘Christ, I swear if I didn’t have to actually work for a living I would be content to do nothing but fuck your arse all day.’ he said and ross felt him run his thumb over where Ross’ body was stretched around his cock. ‘You always make me come so fucking hard.’ 

‘Isn’t that a good thing?’ Ross could barely speak, his afterglow drowning him in endorphins. ‘And I’m not so sure about you painting my arse.’ Jim chuckled and pulled out of him, slapping Ross on the backside for good measure. He walked over to his discarded sarong and used it to clean himself off, then came back over and wiped up the trails of lube and cum that were running down Ross’ inner thighs. 

‘Wait till you see how beautiful I make you look.’ he said. ‘Come on, let’s go shower and get clean.’ 

*********

They were both clean and invigorated after their shower when they walked into the kitchen for breakfast. Neither Flint nor John were anywhere to be seen and Jim went to the fridge and took out the fixings for pancakes. Ross sat at the table in a clean sarong, his feet up on the chair and watched him.

‘Would you?’ he asked and Jim looked up from where he was making batter.

‘Would I what?’ he asked. 

‘Would you come back here?’ Ross asked. ‘It’s kind of nice and you seem like you just kind of fit.’ Jim raised an eyebrow.

‘Are you saying I don’t fit in New York?’ he asked, going to the fridge again and coming to the table with juice and glasses. He was in a pair of faded denim cut-offs and Ross admired how tanned he’d gotten in only a few days. It made the muscles in his upper body more defined and Ross gave himself over to contemplation, accepting the glass of juice and all but fluttering his eyelashes at Jim over his glass. Jim returned the look, then came over and took Ross by the chin, tilting his face up and kissing him. It was slow and lazy, their tongues tangling. It was very thorough and when Jim pulled away from him, he kissed the tip of Ross’ nose. 

‘What?’ Ross asked and Jim smiled.

‘The way you look at me.’ was all he said and then he went back to making breakfast. 

They took their plates out onto the porch and sat and ate slowly. When they were done, Ross stuck his feet in Jim’s lap and accepted the foot rub he’d all but demanded. The sun was in his eyes and he closed them, feeling ridiculously sleepy.  
‘Go get my sunglasses for me.’ he said, stretching back and prodding Jim with his other foot. Jim laughed. 

‘Look at you.’ he said. ‘I fuck you so your head damn near falls off and you turn into a diva.’ Ross gave him the puppy dog eyes and he sighed, lifting Ross’ foot and kissing his toes. ‘Fine, I’ll go get your damn sunglasses.’ He got up and Ross gave him a brilliant smile. 

‘I love you.’ he called as Jim walked back inside.

‘Yeah, yeah. I love you too, you lazy slut.’ Jim called back and Ross felt his heart fill. He’d never thought he could ever be as happy as he was right at that moment. He stretched and lay back in his chair, but then a shrill whistle broke through his thoughts. He opened his eyes and sat up, shading them to see Flint and John walking up from the beach. They were both in shorts and open short sleeved shirts with towels over their shoulders.

‘Good morning, Ross.’ John said as they climbed the stairs. ‘You ready for a day of endless sea and sun and fish so big they can sink a ship?’ 

‘That sounds very dramatic.’ Ross replied. ‘You do know that I have never actually gone deep sea fishing before?’ 

‘You’re going to enjoy it.’ John said. ‘Now where’s my son and heir?’

‘Here.’ Jim replied, coming out the house. He chucked Ross his sunglasses and Ross caught them neatly with a smile. John gave Jim an up and down look and then snorted as he took in the mussed hair and post coital glow.

‘Oh Christ, I know that look.’ he said. ‘You know where the clean sheets are, James. I gave up cleaning the cum out of your bed when you were a teenager.’ 

‘Jesus, Dad.’ Jim said and Ross’ eyebrows went up. He looked at Flint and saw a similar expression of surprise on his face. ‘I know where they fucking are.’ He turned and stomped back into the house with John in tow. Ross heard the bickering fade as they went further in. 

‘Holy shit.’ Flint said softly. ‘I haven’t heard Jim call him that in almost a decade.’ He looked at Ross. ‘What the fuck have you done to him?’

‘I honestly don’t know.’ Ross replied. ‘But it’s good, right?’ Flint smiled and came over, his hand on Ross’ shoulder. 

‘Better than you know, lad.’ he said. ‘Now go get dressed. We’re taking the Whaler out to the reef. And put on sun block, it’s going to get pretty fucking hot out there.’ He walked inside and Ross got up and followed him. 

He found Jim in their room, dramatically ripping the sheets off the bed and making it with clean ones. He gave Ross a look. 

‘I’m twenty-fucking eight and I’ve just been bollocked over messing up the bed.’ he said. ‘I hope you and your nympho arse are happy.’ Ross laughed and tackled him to the mattress, getting hold of Jim’s wrists and pinning him down so he could kiss him all over his face.

‘You’re such a grumpy bugger some days.’ he laughed. Jim wriggled and glared at him.

‘Boys.’ John was leaning in the doorway watching them. ‘When you’re done, get your arses down to the jetty.’ He was grinning. Ross got off Jim and held out his hand. 

‘Well, come on then.’ he said, his voice full of mischief. ‘James.’ 

‘Oh you’re fucking dead.’ Jim said and Ross barely got away from him. 

*********

They finally made it out of the house and Jim sent Ross to the jetty.

‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

‘None of your business.’ Jim retorted and trotted off across the garden. Ross huffed and carried on walking, sincerely hoping he didn’t run into Bob. Thankfully he spotted the crocodile floating juts off the beach. When he got to the jetty, Flint and John looked at him.

‘Where’s Jim?’ John asked. 

‘He ran off across the garden.’ Ross said. John and Flint looked at each other, then Flint climbed off the Whaler. Ross watched him walk off in the direction of the house.

‘Now where’s he going?’ he asked and John grinned. 

‘Looks like Jim’s picking up all his old habits.’ he said, extending a hand and pulling Ross aboard. 

‘Yeah, he said that last night.’ Ross said. ‘And he was drawing this morning.’

‘He was?’ John sounded very pleased to hear that. ‘What was he drawing?’ He caught sight of the slight flush the question bought out on Ross’ cheeks and chuckled. ‘On second thought, don’t answer that.’ 

********

Jim was in the shed, looking around. Flint came to the door and watched him, a smile playing on his face. 

‘Looking for something? He asked and Jim turned around.

‘I was.’ he replied. ‘Where’s everything?’

‘Well, when you told your dad you were coming for Christmas we decided to get you a present.’ Flint said. ‘You haven’t touched your gear in years, Jim. We thought you might want to dive when you came down so we went shopping about three weeks ago. It’s all on the Whaler.’ He grinned at the look on Jim’s face. ‘Merry Christmas, lad.’ He waited for the reaction but when it came it was not what he expected, and the force of Jim’s hug took him completely by surprise. He finally reacted, his arms going around Jim and holding on tightly. 

‘Thank you.’ Jim said into his shoulder. ‘For everything.’

‘You’re very welcome lad.’ Flint replied.

*********

The trip took them out past the reef to where the ocean floor sloped down into the deep, the water changing from the clear aquamarine of Jim’s eyes to a deep cobalt blue. 

John got them set up, instructing Ross how to set and cast the line. Jim and Flint were down below, getting changed. 

‘I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve.’ Ross said, staring up at the sky. ‘It feels so weird to out in the sun.’ He pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. ‘At least I’m getting a tan.’ He had taken his shirt off and was now only in his shorts, the sun warm on his back. He’d decided that he could definitely get used to this kind of lifestyle. 

There was a sound from the cabin and Jim came up. Ross gave him an appreciative look. Jim’s new wetsuit was sleek and black with blue flashes. 

‘You look hot.’ he said and Jim gave him one of those looks that said that Ross was being an idiot, but which also said that he appreciated the compliment. He had his flippers and mask in his hands and he set them down. The air tanks were already on deck. Flint came out a few minutes later. 

‘We’ll be back in about forty.’ he said. Next to him, Jim was spitting into his mask. 

‘We going down the drop off?’ he asked and Flint nodded. Ross came over and stood in front of Jim and Jim put his mask down and placed his hands on Ross’ hips. 

‘Have fun.’ he said and Ross smiled and bent down to kiss him.

‘Oh, I am already.’ he replied.


	14. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day.

Christmas Day was a little cloudy when they woke up, tangled around each other.

‘Bloody hell.’ Jim muttered. ‘That’s the worst thing about living on the beach.’ He dusted some grains of fine white sand from underneath him. They had gone for a long walk after they got back from a day in the sun and had an early night that turned into a very lazy fuck.

‘Maybe, but there are so many things that outweigh a little sand up the arse.’ Ross murmured, pushing his nose into the back of Jim’s neck. He gave the soft skin there a gentle nibble. ‘Serves you right for jumping on me.’

‘I didn’t hear you complaining.’ Jim replied, turning in Ross’ arms so he could look at him. ‘In fact I distinctly remember you being in an unfit state to really string words together.’ He nuzzled Ross’ jaw, fingers twisting in the chain around his neck and tugging him in.

‘I was perfectly coherent.’ Ross said, but his body was already calling him a liar. He arched against Jim, resisting the urge to purr like an overlarge kitten.

‘Of course not.’ Jim breathed this into Ross’ neck, licking once up his throat until he got to Ross’ ear. ‘That’s why you’re already getting hard again.’ His hand dipped down and wrapped itself around Ross. ‘You’re such a fucking whore.’

‘If you’re going to be snarky, I’m going to stick my cock in your mouth and shut you up.’ Ross replied and then took a deep breath as Jim disappeared from view. He turned on his back, feeling the progression of open mouthed kisses down his chest and stomach until Jim was breathing on him, the warmth making his skin prickle. There was a light flick of tongue over the head of his cock, and Ross moaned. ‘Or you can just do it yourself.’ Jim hummed assent, too busy paying attention to the job at hand. Ross looked down and was treated to the frankly magnificent view of Jim’s blond head between his legs. Jim was looking up at Ross with eyes full of mock innocence, one hand around his cock. They locked eyes, and then Jim moved and ran his tongue up the length of it, his eyes never leaving Ross’. When he got to the head, he took it in and started sucking just hard enough to make Ross feel like he was going cross-eyed from how good it felt. Then he let go and licked again, the tip of his tongue moving slowly up the length of Ross’ cock, lingering at the base of the head. He used it almost tentatively, the teasingly soft touch making Ross crazy.

‘I love watching you do that.’ he murmured and Jim licked once over the head and then deep throated the hell out of him, his nose brushing Ross’ skin. It didn’t take long, and Ross came with a deep sigh. Jim swallowed and came up, resting on one elbow. There was a small streak of cum at the corner of his mouth and he dragged his thumb across it and then licked it off. Ross watched him, his eyes at half-mast as he lazed through his afterglow. ‘Do I taste good?’ Jim crawled up his body and kissed him, and Ross tasted himself in Jim’s mouth. It was deep and slow, their tongues dragging along each other.

‘So good.’ Jim said. ‘I love the way you taste, every goddamn inch of you.’

‘Which bit tastes nicest?’ Ross asked, his smile wide.

‘It’s a toss-up.’ Jim said, lowering his head and licking along Ross’ collar bone. ‘Between your mouth, your arse and your cock.’ He reached down and Ross spread his legs as Jim’s fingers ran underneath his balls and traced his entrance, the tip of his finger dipping in.

‘You have to choose one.’ he said, his eyes closing and his voice going soft as Jim’s finger pushed in further.

‘Impossible.’ Jim said. ‘Look at me.’ Ross opened his eyes and met Jim’s blue-green gaze, the intensity taking his breath away. He shivered all over when Jim’s finger brushed his prostate, Jim playing his body as perfectly as he always did.

‘Fuck me.’ he breathed and Jim shook his head, finger still probing.

‘No.’ he said. ‘I want my Christmas present first.’ He twisted his finger and Ross whined in pleasure. ‘Then I’ll fuck you.’ He kissed Ross’ neck, his mouth infinitely soft. ‘But first I’m going to make you come again.’ He started pressing in, harder now, and Ross couldn’t help himself. He reached up, grabbing the pillow behind him and writhing against the persistent touch.

‘If you make me too incoherent you won’t get your present.’ he managed to say and Jim chuckled and looked down.

‘You’re already getting hard again.’ he said. ‘My little sex bunny.’

‘Shut the fuck up.’ Ross could hear how whiny he sounded and yet he didn’t give a fuck. ‘Christ, I can’t…’ He started to pant, not caring how loud he as being. It felt so good, that firm pressure and then he felt it coming, a lot quicker than he’d anticipated. He managed to get his eyes open. ‘Come here. I want you to come on me.’ Jim grinned and sat up, managing to keep his finger inside Ross as he moved to straddle his thighs. He leaned forward far enough that Ross could reach down and take hold of him, jerking him off as Jim increased his pace. They watched each other, gauging each other’s reactions. Ross knew Jim was close, could hear his breathing getting discordant and started rubbing his thumb very deliberately over the head of Jim’s cock, dragging it out.

‘Oh, you fucking bastard.’ Jim moaned and then he shook hard, coming across Ross’ stomach. Ross watched him, feeling smug that he’d gotten him off so quickly, then two fingers slammed into him and all his focus went out the window.

‘Fuck!’ He bowed right off the bed. ‘Oh, Jesus Christ! Jim!’

‘That’s it.’ Jim sounded as demanding a Ross had ever heard him. ‘Come on my fingers.’ He was merciless and when Ross came it was dry and so powerful he completely lost the ability to speak for a few moments. Jim collapsed on top of him.

‘Merry fucking Christmas.’ he muttered into Ross’ shoulder. Ross laughed, his chest still heaving. He reached out blindly, his hand going to his bag, which he’d set down next to the bed on purpose the night before. He dug around and then his fingers grazed the bag that held Jim’s present.

‘Here.’ he said, pulling it out and whacking Jim on the shoulder with it. ‘As requested.’ Jim raised his head and blinked at the bag being waved in his face.

‘You didn’t wrap it?’ he asked, and then snorted with laughter. ‘Why does that not surprise me?’ He grabbed for it and Ross lifted it out of his reach.

‘You’re making fun of me again.’ he said and Jim nodded.

‘Damn right I am. Now give me my present.’ Ross relented and handed it to him. Jim sat up, pulling the box out of the bag. He saw the logo and his eyes went wide, a look of complete delight spreading across his face. Then he took the lid off. If Ross had been anticipating a very satisfying reaction, the reality of what he got made his fantasies into a very pale imitation.

He’d never actually seen Jim speechless.

‘Jim.’ he said, nudging him. ‘Say something.’ Jim took the Civilian out of the box, and turned it over in his fingers. Then he flicked open the blade and the casual way he handled it made Ross’ breath catch.

‘It’s so fucking beautiful.’ he said, then looked up at Ross. ‘I love it.’ His eyes were shining. Ross laughed, utterly delighted at the reaction.

‘So is this your best present ever?’ he asked and Jim nodded.

‘It is. I am tempted at this point to say you can have anything you want after giving me this.’ Jim said, testing his thumb on the blade. Tiny pinpoints of blood welled up where he’d pressed the serrated edge in just hard enough. Ross watched, his eyes drawn to the brilliant red, then reached out to take Jim’s hand. He licked the blood droplets off, looking up at Jim and seeing how Jim’s pupils dilated as he watched him.

‘Anything I want?’ he asked. Jim was watching him closely.

‘Anything you want.’ he repeated.

‘You’re going to regret saying that.’ Ross replied and leaned in to kiss him. ‘So what did you get me?’

‘Nothing quite as romantic.’ Jim replied. He put the knife down and stretched across for his phone. ‘And I was worried it wouldn’t be done in time, but it came through last night after we got back.’ He scrolled through and then handed the phone to Ross, who took it and squinted at the email Jim had bought up. When he realised what he was looking at, he nearly had a heart attack.

‘Are you fucking serious?’ he asked, hazel eyes wide.

‘Very.’ Jim replied. ‘Now it’s officially your home as well. And if anything happens to me, it’s yours.’ He was astonished to see the look that had appeared on Ross’ face. ‘Hey, you’re not going to start crying are you?’

‘No.’ Ross replied, defensively folding his arms and ducking his head so Jim couldn’t see how close he actually was to tears. ‘It’s just I’ve never had a home before that was actually mine.’

‘Well, you do now.’ Jim said, shuffling in and putting his arms around him. ‘It’s ours. It belongs to us. Just like we belong to each other.’ He kissed the top of Ross’ head. Ross lay against him, still staring at the phone screen.

‘Thank you.’ he said, and Jim smiled into his hair.

‘Now you know how serious I am about you.’ he said. ‘We’re in this together.’ Ross nodded.

‘Together.’ he echoed. They sat there like that until a loud growl interrupted their moment of silence. Jim looked down at Ross, who smiled sheepishly. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s all right.’ Jim said and moved to get up. ‘I’m hungry too. Your fault for making me use up so much energy.’ He got off the bed. ‘Actually it’s a little strange. I haven’t heard the old men moving around.’ He picked up a discarded sarong and tied it around his waist and went to the door, opening it. Ross put down the phone and got up to follow him. He dragged on a pair of shorts and padded after Jim down the corridor. When they passed the kitchen, they saw no-one was there. Jim frowned.

‘Something’s wrong.’ he said and started striding in that purposeful way of his towards the living room. Ross jogged after him and then saw that Flint and John were both on the terrace. John was on the cordless phone talking at breakneck speed in Spanish and Flint was standing looking at him, a serious expression etched on his face. He was also chewing his thumbnail and that, more than anything, looked out of place.

They got to them and Jim gave Flint a look, then rattled off something in Spanish. Flint replied and Jim’s entire face changed. He walked over to John and held out his hand. John looked at him and shook his head but Jim stared him down. John eventually said something to the person on the other side and then held out the phone to Jim. He didn’t answer it immediately, just walked to the far end of the terrace and then started speaking so he was semi out of earshot.

Ross looked back at Flint and John. They were both pale and their faces were stricken.

‘What is it?’ he asked and they looked at each other. He could see how reluctant they were to say anything. ‘You may as well tell me because Jim will anyway.’ John sat down and his shoulder slumped and he suddenly looked all of his fifty-seven years.

‘It’s Diego.’ he said, and Flint walked over and put his hand on John’s shoulder. Ross was simultaneously touched and disturbed to see John take Flint’s hand and lean against him. ‘Carmen didn’t come home last night.’

‘What?’ Ross looked immediately at Jim. He could hear the fear in John’s voice and it kicked off something inside him.

‘She went to a Christmas party.’ Flint said. He sounded incredibly tired. ‘There were six of them, Carmen and two of her friends and their dates. They found the boys this morning, all shot and dumped about twenty miles north of Miami. The girls are gone.’

‘HIJO DE PUTA!’ The roar from the end of the terrace shook them all up. They turned in time to see Jim hurl the phone right off the terrace. He turned around and stormed down towards the door.

‘Oh fuck…’ John got up and got in his way. ‘James, do not do this…’ Jim stopped long enough for Ross to see that he was incandescent with rage. He glared at John, and every line was full of tension.

‘They fucking took her.’ he spat.

‘Who?’ John said. ‘We don’t even know if this is professionally connected.’

‘Like fuck it isn’t!’ Jim snarled and Ross felt his heart speed up. He loved seeing Jim like this and the fact that his rage was coming out in such an unhinged way was like a match to black powder for Ross. ‘I know why they did this.’ He looked at John and Flint in turn. ‘Richie’s been skimming and dealing out of his club.’

‘What in the ever loving fuck?’ Flint was quickly turning red with anger. ‘That little shit is doing what?’

‘I found out about it a couple of days ago.’ Jim replied. Ross could see him digging his nails into his palms to try and get himself under control. ‘I was waiting until after Christmas to tell you.’

‘Motherfucker!’ Flint was now pacing back and forth. ‘That stupid little cunt, I am going to cut his fucking dick off!’

‘Calm down, James!’ John said and Jim and Flint both turned to look at him.

‘Which fucking one?’ Flint said. ‘Cause right now, I think we’re probably going to both kill him.’

‘Both of you.’ John said, and the steel in his voice took Ross by surprise. It was a tone that would have had him jumping to attention. It certainly bought them both up short, and Ross suddenly saw a very interesting dynamic at work. ‘Now listen to me and sit the fuck down.’ His blue eyes, which had been filled with nothing but good humour and warmth since Ross had gotten there, were now flat and cold as ice. They sat and Ross did as well. He watched all three of them. It felt like he was swimming in a shark tank.

What surprised him most was that the most dangerous one in there was not the one he would have expected. Then he remembered that this was a man who’d taken a boy that had killed his parents and raised him to be the most beautiful perfect monster that Ross could imagine. A man who had looked at Jim and not been horrified but what he saw in front of him, but who had instead seen _potential_. This was a man who ran a multi-million dollar illegal enterprise and got away with doing so. He saw the respect that Jim and Flint gave him and he felt it himself.

‘Now.’ John said, and his voice was perfectly calm. ‘Diego is on the case. He has the boys all over fucking Miami. They are busy shaking down every fucking dealer, pimp and numbers man in the city. This information that you’ve just given me puts a new spin on things but it doesn’t mean we rush into something.’ He looked sternly at Jim. ‘What have I always fucking taught you?’

‘Be prepared.’ Jim said and Ross had to fight a hysterical laugh at the fact that Jim was spouting Boy Scout dogma. He looked right back at John. ‘I’m going.’

‘You can go.’ John said. ‘Frankly if this goes the way I think it will, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it.’ He rested his chin on one hand. ‘And I want you to send a message. I want you to annihilate them. Make it impressive. They have to know they can’t touch us.’ Jim nodded.

‘I will.’ he said. ‘How many messengers?’

‘One is sufficient. But you make sure you get Carmen back.’ John said. ‘I’ll call Freddie. She can fly you in.’

‘On Christmas?’ Flint said. He was still glowering. ‘Will she even be sober?’

‘She’ll be fine.’ John said. ‘And we don’t want the cops knowing Jim’s there. As far as they’re concerned he’s here with us.’ Ross listened to the exchange. Then he broke in.

‘I’m going with you.’ he said to Jim and John and Flint both looked at him and frowned.

‘Not a good idea, Ross. You are staying here.’ John said, his voice softening. ‘This isn’t something you want to get mixed up in. Jim’s going to be doing something that is very dangerous and very illegal. You’d only jeopardise things.’ Ross looked at him and then something clicked in his head.

‘I’ve been killing people since I was seventeen and not a single one has come back to haunt me.’ he said, pride making him lift his head and give John a look that was full of challenge. ‘Your son loves me because I’m even more fucked up than he is.’ He glanced at Jim and saw the gleam of approval in those blue-green eyes. ‘This doesn’t scare me and I don’t trust anyone else to watch Jim’s back.’ He held John’s gaze. ‘So with all due respect, I am going.’

His little speech seemed to have made John and Flint speechless. Then Flint turned to John and gave him a sharp smile.

‘A match made in hell.’ he said, and there was equal parts affection and dread in his voice. John held Ross’ gaze. Then he nodded.

‘So it would seem.’ he said.

********

Four hours later a small yellow seaplane touched down alongside the cay and powered into the jetty. The woman piloting it was middle aged and had brassy red hair tied in a red and blue paisley scarf. There was a blue pitbull on the seat next to her.

They were standing on the jetty waiting for her and he looked at Jim. They had already said their goodbyes to Flint and John, who had already gone sailing to provide an alibi for them. They had both embrace him like family and John had taken Ross’ face in his hands.

‘Bring him back in one piece.’ he’d said to Jim, still looking at Ross. ‘I like this one. He’s a keeper.’ Jim had snorted and Flint had put his hand on Jim’s shoulder.

‘Good hunting.’ he’d said and Jim had nodded. Then they had left.

Jim had his bag held across his shoulder. They had decided that it would be easier for them to get the hell back to New York as soon as the job was done via Exuma. Freddie would bring them back and they would be gone before anything would come to light.

Jim looked up at Ross and reached out, fingers brushing over the crucifix on Ross’ chest. Then he put his hand at the back of Ross’ neck and pulled him in to kiss him.

‘I love you.’ he said.

‘I love you too.’ Ross replied.

[Jim's Christmas present.](https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=60)


	15. Dark Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Ross get back to Miami.
> 
> Huge thanks to Withywindlesdaughter for her amazing idea, and I hope she likes los ángeles oscuros.

The flight was uneventful.

Freddie turned out to be a fairly taciturn woman and after the initial pleasantries and introductions she fell into silence and concentrated on flying the plane. The pitbull, who’d been introduced as Baloo, was curled up next to her asleep.

Ross shifted and settled back against Jim’s shoulder. He could feel the tension in Jim’s body and see it in how he stared out the window of the plane, watching the ocean and scattered islands pass beneath them. Ross knew there was nothing he could do to interact with Jim when he was like this and put his earphones on and lay back, listening to his music.

It was only a two hour flight to Gun Cay. They would be meeting a boat there and then sailing back into Miami. Ross had started to realise that this was how they largely did things. They were not flying back to New York, but taking the train instead as it didn’t require any form of identification.

He sighed and Jim’s arm tightened momentarily around him. Ross could sympathise. He had seen in his short time with the Vasquez family that Jim was as attached to them as he was to his own. And what was important to Jim was important to him as well.

Jim had said very little since they had gotten into the plane, except to have a brief conversation with Freddie about her and her husband. So when he spoke, Ross didn’t quite register. Then he noticed Jim looking at him expectantly and took off his headphones.

‘What?’ he asked. Jim looked at him. His blue-green eyes were sharp and calculating and a thrill went up Ross’ spine.

‘You sure about this?’ he asked. ‘If you do this with me, you’re in it up to your eyeballs.’

‘Why on earth would I let you do it by yourself?’ Ross asked as he turned to look at him, honestly mystified. ‘If anything happened to you, it would be the end of me anyway.’ He settled back down.

‘I worry.’ Jim said, and his voice dropped a tone. ‘I don’t want you to get hurt. These guys are pros and you’re…’

‘An enthusiastic amateur?’ Ross asked. He reached up to hold onto Jim’s arm. ‘Yeah, but I have you to look after me.’ He felt Jim kiss the top of his head.

‘I know.’ Jim replied.

‘And Andres was a professional.’ Ross added. ‘That didn’t save him.’ For a moment he wondered if he’d overstepped a line, then Jim relaxed.

‘No. It didn’t.’ His hand moved to rest over the crucifix.

They landed just off the cay. Freddie powered down the engines and Ross saw a sleek elegant motor yacht just to starboard.

‘It’s Alejo.’ Freddie said, turning to look at them. ‘He’ll take you boys in.’ She looked at Jim. ‘Be careful.’ Then she smiled. ‘And next time I expect you to come and introduce your boyfriend to us properly.’ Jim gave her a half smile back.

‘Deal. Thanks Freddie.’ he said and opened the plane door. Ross saw that a dinghy had been dispatched from the yacht and was coming towards them. He said good bye to Freddie, gave Baloo a brief ear rub and followed him.

They were transferred to the yacht and Ross climbed aboard to be greeted by a man that he vaguely remembered from the night they had gone out for dinner. He gave Ross a nod and a smile and then he and Jim walked off. Ross followed, the conversation in Spanish meaning he was pretty much in the dark as to what was going on. They went below into a lavish saloon and Alejo turned to Ross.

‘Help yourself to anything.’ he said. ‘There’s cable too. We’re not going in until later.’ Ross looked to Jim who nodded.

‘Business.’ he said. Ross watched him put his bag down on one of the seats and then he and Alejo disappeared behind down the spiral staircase at the end.

Ross put his own bag down and then looked around. He wandered over to the galley and rooted around in the fridge before he came out a beer. A quick scout of the cupboards located a bag of potato chips. He went back to his bag and dug out some sun block and his sunglasses and took them and his music outside. There were loungers at the stern and he shucked his shirt and got comfortable.

*********

Jim came out two hours later. Ross had been on a strict rotation of turn and baste and was a good few beers down.

‘Alejo’s making lunch.’ Jim said. ‘You hungry?’

‘I’m curious.’ Ross replied and Jim gave him a crooked smile.

‘They got someone. A runner. It was the Collusco brothers. Taking over where their daddy left off by the sounds of things.’ Jim’s voice was neutral but Ross could see the muscles in his jaw tighten.

‘So this isn’t just business anymore, is it?’ he asked. Jim huffed.

‘They probably thought it was the perfect excuse.’ he said. ‘They never could pin what happened on me, so Richie fucking up like this is just the opportunity they need.’

‘What did Alejo say?’ Ross asked. Jim sat down on the lounger next to him.

‘The boys they were with were part of our organisation.’ he said. ‘The girls are family of some of the people you met in Miami.’ He ran a hand through his blond hair. ‘This is very personal. This is them basically pissing all over our feet and smiling at us because they think we’re not going to do anything. That we won’t risk Carmen or the other girls.’

‘Would they seriously hurt her?’ Ross asked. He was feeling a little sick to his stomach at the thought and more than a little angry.

‘The Colluscos are into everything, not just drugs.’ Jim said. ‘They run whores as well. They take the girls into Mexico and sell them off to the high ranking gang members there. We think that’s what they’re going to do to her.’ He sighed heavily. ‘When we get back, Diego has asked me to speak to the runner. We need to find out where they are and go get them out tonight before the Colluscos get wind of anything.’

‘So why do they want you to talk to him?’ Ross was confused. Jim huffed again, but this time there was a slightly amused note in it. He reached out and put his hand to Ross’ face , thumb running along his cheekbone.

‘I have a…certain reputation.’ he said. ‘Let’s just say the guy will probably shit himself when he sees me.’

‘Because of what you did after Andres?’ Ross sat up, his curiosity piqued. ‘What do they say about you?’ he was astonished to see Jim look a little embarrassed. He looked away from Ross.

‘You’ll laugh.’ he said.

‘No, I won’t.’ Ross said. ‘Oh come on, tell me. Please?’ He put on his best wheedling tone. ‘You know I’ll just ask Alejo.’

‘Fuck.’ Jim sighed. ‘They call me _ángel oscuro_. It translates to Dark Angel.’ He looked at Ross. ‘It’s completely ridiculous and over the top and…’

‘And amazing.’ Ross broke in, grinning in spite of the gravity of the situation. ‘It makes you sound like a complete badass.’

‘Why am I not surprised by your reaction?’ Jim said. He got up and held out his hand. ‘Come on, let’s go eat.’

**********

Alejo set sail so they would arrive just after dark. The sun had just dipped down behind the horizon when they got to the marina. They moored, Jim jumping down to help secure the lines. Ross saw that Diego was waiting on the pontoon for them. Ross took their bags and walked across the gangplank that Alejo had extended and got to him. Jim was already there, a hand on Diego’s shoulder. He looked like he’d aged two decades in a day.

‘Ross.’ he said heavily when Ross got to them. Ross felt a funny twist in his stomach. This was the man who’d accepted him into his home without a second thought and Ross felt a protective streak run through him. He put both bags down and put his arms around Diego.

‘We’ll get her back.’ he said.

Diego looked at Jim in astonishment and then returned the hug. Then he pushed Ross away and gave Ross a gentle tap on the cheek.

‘ _Gracias_ my boy.’ he said. ‘I appreciate that.’

‘Diego says we’ve got the guy in a safe house downtown.’ Jim said. ‘We’re going straight there.’

‘We can detour to drop you off with Estefania.’ Diego said. ‘She and Shandra are at Gloria’s house.’ Ross looked at Jim.

‘Last chance.’ Jim said. Ross bent down and picked up their bags.

‘Downtown.’ he said, walking past them and along towards the marina. ‘Let’s go.’

They walked to the car park. Ross was expecting to see Diego’s sleek SUV. Instead there was a yellow taxi cab waiting for them. Diego went around to the passenger side and spoke to the driver and a second later the trunk popped. Jim put his bag in and when Ross followed to do the same, he saw a black duffle already in there. He looked at Jim.

‘Gear.’ Jim said and went to climb in the back. Ross did the same. Diego was already in the front seat and the driver turned. He shook Jim’s hand, his face serious.

‘Ross this is Manu.’ Diego said. The driver nodded at Ross in the rear view mirror. He looked like he was barely out of school. He started the car and they pulled out of the marina.

The drive downtown took forty-five minutes. Jim and Diego spoke softly in Spanish the whole way. Ross sat and watched the buildings flash by. The glows changed from neon to street lights as they got out of the built up areas and started getting into the suburbs. Ross looked at the passing houses, watching the neighbourhoods get poorer and seedier.

They finally got to a block that was pretty much boarded up houses and buildings. The last one on the block was a clapboard bungalow and the taxi pulled into the drive. Diego and jim got out and Ross followed. Manu waited for them to retrieve their bags from the trunk and then left, his tail-lights fading as he drove down the road.

‘Inside.’ Diego said and they went around the back. The yard was overgrown and the paint was peeling from the walls. The house looked like it hadn’t been lived in in ages. Ross was expecting to go in the back. Instead, Diego went to the back fence. Then Ross noticed that there was what looked like the doors to a storm shelter. He knocked and it opened. He went down and they went in after him. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Ross noticed a few things. The room they were in was like a cave, albeit a concrete one. It was lit with bright fluorescent strips and was most empty. Then he noticed that the man that had let them in was holding what looked like an automatic weapon. Jim dropped his bag and Ross did the same.

‘He’s in the back.’ the man said. Diego nodded. He led them to a doorway. They went down a short passage and Ross noted that there were three other rooms that came off of the passage. They looked like stock rooms. The passage terminated in a final room. Ross could smell the blood before he saw it and looked at Jim, catching the flare of his nostrils as Jim did the same. He held back and ushered Ross past him. Diego and he entered the room and Ross saw the source of the smell. He noticed that Jim didn’t follow them. The room was square and empty but for three chairs against the wall.

Richie was already there. Ross took in the bruised knuckles and the anger on his face. There was another man there, shorter and rounder with a thin moustache. He looked up when they came in and then stepped aside to reveal a man tied to another chair. He was young, maybe in his twenties. He looked up and Ross saw the cut on his cheek, no doubt caused by the heavy gold ring Richie wore. His face was twisted into an arrogant smirk. He said something in Spanish and the short man looked at Diego.

‘He claims he doesn’t know where they are.’ he said. Diego, however was looking at Richie, anger on his face.

‘I told you to stay with your mother.’ he said and his voice was icy.

‘ _Papi_ …’ Richie started.

‘No!’ Diego flared. ‘You got your sister into this shit. Now I have to clean up your mess.’ He looked back at the runner. ‘You hit him?’

‘He wasn’t sayin’ anything.’ Richie snapped back. ‘Stupid motherfucker.’ He raised his hand again, seemingly about to backhand the runner.

‘Ricardo!’ Diego’s voice could have cut through steel. ‘Enough!’ He turned to Ross. ‘Please take my son outside.’

‘What?’ Richie was outraged. ‘No! I fucking stay.’

‘YOU’VE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE!’ The roar took them all by surprise. Diego’s eyes were blazing as he rounded on his son. He got Richie by the front of the short and pinned him up against the wall. Ross watched as they snarled at each other not sure what to do.

‘Diego.’ It was soft, but the authority in it was unmistakeable. ‘Let him go.’ Ross stared as Diego’s shoulders sagged. He let go of Richie and they all turned to see Jim now standing in the doorway. He looked like any East Coast tourist, in his khaki shorts and red t-shirt and black flip flops. And yet, one glimpse of him and the runner in the chair started to breathe hard.

‘ _Madre de Dios_.’ he breathed, his eyes widening. ‘Fuck no. _Por favor_..’

‘Get out and take Richie with you.’ Jim said. ‘I will handle this.’

Ross watched as Deigo looked at the short man. The short man nodded and Diego turned back to Richie. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and then dragged him out, Richie protesting vehemently in Spanish. Jim watched them go and then turned to the short man.

‘He’s going to make a lot of noise, Javi.’ he said. Javi gave the runner a contemplative look.

‘You sending him back?’ he asked.

‘Unfortunately.’ Jim replied. He walked forward and Ross could see the shift from one step to the next. His pulse stuttered and then started to race. ‘But he’s going to be taking a message with him.’

‘What about him?’ Javi asked and Ross realised he was talking about him. Jim looked at him and their eyes met.

‘I don’t believe you’ve met my _novio_.’ he said with that crooked smile of his. ‘This is Ross, Javi. He stays.’ Javi looked at Ross, an expression of respect crossing his face. He nodded and then left the room, closing the door behind him. The man in the chair was now panting in obvious fear, looking from Ross to Jim. He started to babble in Spanish but Jim ignored him. Instead he walked to the door and threw the heavy deadbolt.

Ross watched as he approached him, watching the predatory light come into Jim’s eyes. It was something that never failed to excite him. Jim got to him and then he reached up and stroked the backs of his finger against Ross’ cheek.

‘You’ve never seen me really work.’ he said. Ross leaned into the touch.

‘No, I haven’t.’ he replied.

‘You will now.’ Jim said. He turned back and reached into his pocket. Ross watched him take out the Civilian and flick the blade open.

‘Oh God no…’ the runner said and then he started screaming.

Jim smiled and stepped forward.

Behind him, Ross went to grab a chair from the wall. He dragged it forward and turned it around so he could straddle it and sit down, arms crossed along the back and chin on his hands as he settled in to watch the show.


	16. We Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game time...

It took an hour for the runner to crack. He’d been tough, but the cutting had finally gotten too much for him.

Ross lit his cigarette and blew out the smoke, ignoring how the blood on his fingers stained the white paper. Both hands were slick with it, as was his chest and throat. It had even gotten on his face where he’d absent-mindedly wiped the sweat from his face. The ventilation down in the storm shelter was terrible and it was boiling down there. His t-shirt was on one of the remaining chairs. Ross was quite partial to it and hadn’t wanted to get it stained.

Jim was no better, his t-shirt and shorts stained beyond repair. He was now bending over and staring at the runner, who’d long since gone quiet. The Civilian was still his hand, its serrated teeth coated in blood and still sticky with scraps of tissue.

‘He’s alive.’ he said and straightened up. ‘But he’s going to wish he wasn’t in the morning.’ He took a handful of the runner’s hair and hauled his head back. Ross smiled as he saw the man’s empty eye sockets. That had been the bit Jim had let him do after he’d finished breaking the runner’s fingers one by one, using the Civilian to delicately cut them out. He now appreciated just what a finely crafted tool he’d bought his boyfriend. He moved to look at the man’s bare back. Jim watched him over the man’s shoulder, an expectant expression on his face.

‘So?’ he asked. ‘What do you think?’

‘I don’t know.’ What did you write?’ Ross asked, inhaling and peering at the neatly incised letters. Jim had made them just deep enough to hit the nerves and cause the maximum of pain, but not so deep that the man would bleed to death.

‘It’s from the Count of Monte Christo.’ he said and grinned at Ross. ‘It’s his treatise on revenge. I wrote it in Spanish for obvious reasons.’ He came around to the same side and tilted his head, his eyes critical as he surveyed the writing. ‘It’ll scar nicely.’ He folded the blae of the Civilian and stuck it back in his pocket. ‘But we have what we came for now. We’re done with him.’

‘What’s going to happen now?’ Ross asked.

‘Javi will dump him in reach of a Collusco safe house.’ Jim said. ‘They tend to avoid hospitals.’ He walked over to the door and threw the bolt back. Ross went to the chair and then frowned as he realised he couldn’t pick up his t-shirt. Jim saw his mystified expression and chuckled. ‘Leave it there, you can get it later.’ He opened the door and shouted for Diego down the corridor.

Ross moved and watched as the now blind runner tried to follow his movements. He grinned and looked at Jim. Jim shook his head at him, an indulgent smile on his face. Then Diego and Richie came in and they both stopped dead as they saw the runner. Then they looked up and saw Ross.

Ross realised he must look a sight, shirtless and blood smeared.

‘I have an address.’ Jim said. It’s down in Homestead, off Card Sound. Hard to find, but isolated as fuck.’ He looked pleased when he said this. ‘Says there’s a house there they use for holding girls. They took Carmen and her friends there.’

‘How many?’ Diego asked.

‘Nine, plus a couple of other girls they snatched last week.’ Jim said.

‘You under orders?’ Diego said, his eyes on the runner. Jim nodded.

‘I am. It’s going to be spectacular.’ he said.

‘I’m going with you.’ Richie said and Jim and Diego both looked at him. ‘I did this. I caused this. I want to help get her back.’

‘Rich.’ Jim said. ‘You’re a distributor. You’d only get in my way.’

‘You let Ross help.’ Richie protested and Jim’s eyebrows went up.

‘Ross just cut that guy’s eyes out, Rich. You get queasy pulling nails for fuck’s sake.’ he replied and Richie’s face became obstinate. ‘And no offence, but I trust Ross to back me up a fuck load more than you do. He knows what he’s doing.’

‘Apparently he does.’ There was a strange note in Diego’s voice and Ross realised that he was looking at him with an inscrutable look on his face. ‘Al right. You two go and do what you need to do.’

‘Make sure you’re visible.’ Jim said. ‘None of this needs to come back to you. Take them somewhere high profile.’ Diego nodded.

‘There’s gear and weapons here.’ He said. ‘You boys can get kitted out.’

‘Car?’ Jim asked.

‘Javi!’ Diego called. A few moments later he appeared in the doorway. He took in the blinded runner and Jim and Ross. ‘They need a car. Something disposable.’

‘No problem.’ he said and left again.

‘Good.’ Jim stretched, his t-shirt riding up and Ross felt arousal curling in his stomach. He’d been hard while he’d watched Jim work, then gotten more than a little overexcited when he’d cut the runner’s eyes out. The man had screamed and begged so prettily. It had eventually subsided, but it hadn’t gone away. ‘Get going. I’ll let you know when we’re on the train.’

‘Thank you, Jaime.’ Diego said. His eyes were wet. ‘Please bring her back.’

‘I will.’ Jim said. He watched Diego and Richie walk to the door. ‘ _Papi_?’ Diego stopped and looked at him. Jim smiled. It wasn’t at all pleasant. ‘I'll make them hurt.’  

‘I'm counting on it.’ Diego replied.

**********

There was a bathroom off one of the store rooms and they both showered, washing the runner’s blood off of them. Some men had arrived and taken the runner away and Javi had gone in with a bucket of soapy water and a mop, cleaning the mess they had left.

Jim dried himself off, listening to Javi singing Dean Martin songs. He’d brought their bags in and he retrieved clean underwear and a pair of jeans. Ross was still in the shower. Jim had wanted to go jump on him, but they weren’t done and he couldn’t afford to get distracted at this juncture. He towelled his hair and then finger combed it back. There was a pile of long sleeved black t-shirts in the storage room next door and Jim had pulled out a couple for him and Ross. He got into his jeans and was just doing them up when Ross stepped out the bathroom, his dark hair in a towel turban and otherwise naked. Jim looked at him and then burst out laughing as the ridiculous nature of the situation hit him. It was a tiny bit of relief in the white hot anger he’d been stifling since the phone call.

‘You’re an idiot.’ he said. ‘Jeans and get some boots from the next room.’ He pulled his t-shirt over his head. Ross went to his bad and dug out a pair of black jeans and some briefs. Jim watched as he dumped them on the bench by the bathroom door and dug around again. ‘What are you doing?’ Ross looked up, his face slightly guilty.

‘Nothing.’ he said. Jim narrowed his eyes at him and then turned to pick up the pair of boots he’d got himself from the stash next door. They were standard safety boots, mass produced and cheap enough to dump. He sat on the bench and pulled them on, then looked at Ross who was standing with a thoughtful expression. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Nothing.’ Ross repeated. ‘Could you grab me some boots when you’re done?’ Jim finished lacing and looked at him. He knew Ross was up to something. Ross realised he was suspicious and his face smoothed out. ‘I need to get dressed.’

Jim huffed and got up. He left the room and went into the store room next door. He hunted through the boots until he found a pair Ross’ size and bought them back. The bathroom door was closed and he frowned and then went to try it. It was locked.

‘Ross.’ he said. ‘Come on, we don’t have time for you to dick around.’

‘Just leave them outside.’ Ross called and Jim shook his head in annoyance and dumped the boots on the ground. He left the room and saw Javi coming out. The water in the bucket was now red and scummy on top.

‘You got yourself a live wire there.’ he said and Jim smiled. Javi was a ‘cleaner’ and had been in the business for over thirty years. He’d seen pretty much everything and hadn’t once blinked an eye at any of the times he’d had to clean up after Jim.

‘Yeah, I know.’ he replied.

‘Boy’s like you.’ Javi said. ‘You gonna marry him?’ Jim rolled his eyes.

‘Why does everyone keep asking me that?’ he said. Javi chuckled and walked off. Jim watched him round the corner and then went into the other storeroom. The Civilian was now clean and back in his pocket. There were plenty of weapons here though and he browsed them with all the insouciance of a customer in a grocery store. The bag in the trunk that Diego had carried Jim’s own gun that he kept at Diego’s house as well as his shoulder rig but he needed something for Ross. He finally found a decent knife, a SOG Strike still in the box. It was a serrated combat style number with a blackened blade. He took it out the box and unsheathed it, running his thumb slightly over the blade and testing it. It satisfied him and he turned to take it in to Ross and instead found Ross standing behind him, looking like a kid in a candy store. He was dressed, the all black ensemble making him look hotter than it really should have. He’d pushed the sleeves of the t-shirt up on his forearms like Jim had, except the effect was less hitman and more goth.

‘You look like The Crow.’ Jim said but Ross kept staring at the shelves full of guns behind him.

‘Holy fuck.’ he said and looked at Jim.

‘Here.’ Jim said and flipped the knife, catching it by the hilt and handing it to him. Ross took it and tested it, balancing it on his forefinger. He flicked it up and caught it neatly, making Jim smile.

‘You started showing off first.’ Ross said and held his hand out for the sheath. Jim gave it to him, watching as Ross sheathed the blade and then frowned. Jim realised he didn’t know quite what to do with it.

‘Take your belt off.’ he instructed and took the knife back. When Ross was done he handed the belt to Jim, who started threading it back through the loops, securing the sheath so the knife lay flush and horizontal across the small of Ross’ back. He came round the front and did up Ross’ belt and then tugged his shirt down, concealing the knife from view.

‘Like so.’ he said and Ross leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

‘You are so frighteningly competent.’ he said, his hazel eyes sparkling. ‘You’re giving me a hard-on.’

‘Stop that.’ Jim said. It was mutual though. Seeing Ross dressed up and ready to go kill people was doing things to him. He’d carefully compartmentalised his anger and fear for Carmen and now all he could feel was the steady beat of excitement and anticipation low in his gut. And looking at Ross and knowing he was going to be right by his side, bloody and violent, gave all of this an eroticism he’d never experienced before. He grabbed Ross by the neck, dragging him down and kissing him, open-mouthed and hard. Ross responded readily, his tongue invading Jim’s mouth in turn. When they separated, they were both breathing quicker.

‘Now this is promising.’ Ross smirked and Jim shoved him away.

‘I’m going to fuck you so hard after.’ he said and Ross gave him a dangerous smile, sharp as the knife he was now carrying. It made Jim’s heart beat a little bit faster.

‘I fucking hope so.’ he said.

*********

They found Javi in the drive talking to another man. There was a brief exchange and Jim was handed the keys. They chucked their bags in the back and got in the front, Ross grinning at how Jim had to adjust the seat.

‘I could drive.’ he said and Jim snorted at him.

‘You don’t know where the fuck to go.’ he replied. Ross sat back and watched him start the car, admiring how hot he looked now he was fully strapped into his shoulder rig. He had decided that he liked that look very much indeed. He did notice that Jim wasn’t wearing his seat belt though and this surprised him. He remarked on it and Jim just gave him one of those looks. Ross sighed and sat back and they pulled out the drive, Javi and the delivery man standing in the beam of the headlights, their hands raised as they saw them off. It took about twenty minutes for them to leave the neighbourhood they were in. Ross checked the luminous hands on Jim’s watch and saw that it was shortly after ten.

He looked out the window, noting how the streetlamps were starting to thin and the houses became fewer and fewer. Jim had put the radio on and Wild Boys was busy playing when the change came, so sudden that Ross was a little surprised. Jim turned onto a dual carriageway road and suddenly it was black. He looked on either side of the road, but all he saw was scrub. The residual light from Miami was behind them and it suddenly felt like they were leaving civilisation behind. Next to him, Jim was singing along softly to the song, tapping out the beat with his thumbs on the steering wheel. The reflected light from the headlamps hit his eyes, making them almost colourless.

_You got sirens for a welcome, there's bloodstain for your pain_   
_And your telephone been ringing while you're dancing in the rain_

Ross watched him, reminded of a night when he’d sat and looked at the man next to him, wondering who he was but feeling that inexorable draw to him.

‘Do you believe in fate?’ he asked and Jim stopped singing and glanced at him.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked. Duran Duran stopped singing and Leo Sayer took over.

‘Like do you believe in fate.’ he repeated. ‘That you and I were meant to find each other.’ There was a flicker of a dimple as Jim smiled.

‘You’re a hopeless romantic, you know that?’ he said. ‘If there is such a thing as fate, it wasn’t divine providence that brought us together. We’re more likely to end up in hell.’

‘I’d go to hell without hesitation so long as I could be with you.’ Ross said. ‘I couldn’t be without you. Not anymore.’ He waited for a response and then noticed that Jim as looking intently at the rear view mirror. They had only passed one or two cars since they had gotten on the road into the dark, and he now looked back over the seat at the lights behind them. ‘Jim?’

‘Hang on.’ Jim said and Ross barely had time to register, when he slammed on breaks and hauled the hand break up so hard the tyres screeched and the car was thrown around until it faced the wrong way. Ross held on grimly, shaken and startled by what had just happened and then doubly so as Jim threw the door open and was out in a flash, gun drawn and running towards the car behind them that had slammed on brakes.

Ross scrabbled at his seat belt, finally getting it undone. He could hear Jim shouting at the occupant of the car and opened the door, nearly falling out. He saw Jim standing braced, gun pointed directly at the driver’s window.

‘Get the fuck out!’ he shouted again and Ross felt heat go through him at how cold his voice was, the absolute control in it. ‘I’m not going to ask you again!’ Ross saw the door open and two hands come up, then heard a familiar voice.

‘Jesus Christ, Jaime! It’s me!’ Ross saw Jim’s face, a quick flash of confusion that was quickly replaced by anger.

‘Motherfucker!’ He lowered the gun and then put it away. ‘Richie, what the fuck are you doing here?’ Ross approached and saw Richie getting out the car, hands still slightly raised. He looked frightened and Ross had the sudden insight that he wasn’t used to being on the business end of guns very often.

‘I told you.’ Richie’s face was now stubborn. ‘She’s my sister Jaime. I want to help.’

‘Yeah?’ Jim was still at maximum volume. ‘Then how about you turn back the last six months and not make such a stupid mistake, you dumb fucking cunt! This is your fucking fault!’ He holstered his gun.

‘You don’t think I know that?’ Richie sounded distraught. ‘I know I fucked up. I just want to get her back.’ Jim shook his head, disgusted.

‘And what makes you think there’s going to be anything to take back, Rich?’ he asked, his voice quieter. ‘They could have done anything by now. They could have knocked her around, raped her. Did you even think of that?’ Even in the light from the headlamps, Ross could see Richie pale visibly.

‘They wouldn’t.’ he said and Jim snorted derisively.

‘Fuck, you are thick sometimes. Alive doesn’t mean untouched, Richie.’ He put his hands on his hips. ‘You’re going the fuck back.’

‘No!’ Richie was adamant. ‘I’ll just follow you.’ His voice turned pleading. ‘Please Jamie. _Por favor mi hermano_.’

‘Fuck.’ Jim practically spat the word out. He looked at Ross. Ross met his eyes and then Jim sighed heavily. ‘Fine, but you stay the fuck out of our way and you do every fucking thing I tell you to, no questions.’

‘Anything you want.’ Richie said.

‘All right.’ Jim said. ‘Pull off the road and get in the back.’

Richie obeyed, getting back in the car and Jim walked back towards Ross. He looked furious. Ross watched him go around to his side and then jogged back to get in as well.

‘Is this going to fuck things up?’ he asked and Jim gave a short bitter laugh.

‘Richie has never killed anyone in his life.’ he said. ‘He’s a distributer, an intimidator. The guys that talk big aren’t the ones you need to look out for.’

‘No.’ Ross said. ‘It’s the quiet bastards. Like you.’ Jim looked at him. ‘So now what?’

‘Slight change of plans.’ Jim said but didn’t elaborate. They watched as Richie stepped out from the scrub and jogged over to the car and got in the back. Jim put the car back in gear, executed a three point turn and headed down the road again.

Ross sat and felt the tension in the car rise to almost breaking point. Jim looked as pissed as he’d ever seen him. He glanced back at Richie and saw that his face was pinched and fearful but also determined.

‘Okay.’ Jim said. ‘Here’s the deal. You’re going to hang back, in the trees where no-one can see you. You are going to stay the fuck out of sight and be quiet or I swear to fuck I will shoot you myself.’ He looked at Richie in the rear view mirror.

‘You understand me?’

‘I understand.’ Richie said.

‘Good. Just stay the fuck behind us and you may live through this. But if you put Ross or I in danger, I will not think twice about leaving your dumb arse there.’ Jim said. ‘I value my life and my boyfriend a fuck load more than I value your worthless hide right now.’

‘Jaime…’ Richie started and Jim cut him off.

‘Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I am this far from sticking the piece I’m carrying up your arse and pulling the trigger until the mag’s empty.’ Jim snapped. ‘Now shut the fuck up.’

‘Okay.’ Richie’s voice sounded small.

They kept driving and then Ross saw it, barely noticeable drive to the right. Jim slowed and then went past. He kept going for a few minutes before turning the car off the road to the left where they was another dirt track. It was a dead end and he drove all the way to where the car was lost in deep shadows. He killed the engine and looked at Ross.

‘You ready, baby?’ he asked and Ross nodded.

‘Let’s go.’ he said, the butterflies swirling in his stomach. Jim locked eyes with him and then leaned across. They kissed, slow and deep, completely ignoring the person in the back seat.

'Time to let the monsters out.' Jim said softly when they parted. Then he sat back, opened the door and got out. Ross watched him go and then did the same.


	17. Gun Fight At The OK Corral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're not going to know what hit them...
> 
> Oh, and I regret fucking nothing...
> 
> Btw this come with a screech warning. You'll see what I mean :D

The night was thick with humidity in spite of the fact that it was December. Ross couldn’t believe it was actually the day after Christmas. They had been sitting in the scrub watching the safe house for just under two hours. Boredom gnawed at him, but he remained still. Just ahead of him, Jim watched. His focus was complete, his eyes taking in every detail of the place they were going into.

‘I need a piss.’ This was Richie, low and sulky. Ross winced internally as Jim turned his head, his bat like hearing taking in every word. Even in the dark, Ross could feel the anger in that stare. Next to him, Richie shrank into himself and fell silent. Jim turned back and kept watching.

There were men outside, all heavily armed. Jim suspected they had been tipped off, although he didn’t know how. He studied the front of the house. It was a typical Floridian bungalow, clapboard and peeling green paint. It probably had maybe four or five rooms. He’d counted five guards outside after the recons he and Ross had done.

He looked to the side, pride making him feel warm. Ross had taken to his task like a duck to water, his silence and the ability to completely melt into the darkness and shadows impressing the hell out of Jim. But then, this probably felt a bit like home to him – hunting in the dark and the quiet.

He heard Richie speak, his low words irritating Jim intensely. He resented the intrusion on this time he should have been spending with Ross, and he also hated the fact that he was dealing with an unknown quantity. He had always disagreed with Diego’s policy of shielding Richie as much as he had and getting other people to do the dirty work, himself included. Jim had never shied away from violence or murder in the name of business, and so he had little sympathy for what Richie must now be going through. He did allow himself a smile as he realised that tonight he and Ross were probably going to scare the living daylights out of Richie. Of course, the flip side of that was that he would know exactly how Jim did things and what he’d been doing for years, something few people had ever witnessed and lived to talk about.

One of the guards walked the perimeter, coming close enough that Jim knew he would be able to pull off a head shot without blinking. But he had no suppressor and preferred knife work in any case. The guard was heavy footed, confident in the safety the Gilboa he carried gave him. Jim felt a shiver go through him. These were the kinds of conditions he liked, the challenge of sneaking up and getting his knife in before they even knew what was happening.

The guard stood and peered into the dark, almost as if he’d sensed something out there in the dark, his hand coming up to where Jim knew a crucifix was probably hanging. It amused him, the faith they put in their trinkets. He gave Ross another quick glance, looking for the same bump on his chest. Ross hadn’t taken the chain off since Jim had given it to him, so maybe it wasn’t all as ridiculous as it seemed.

The guard turned away from them and started down towards the shed that was hidden in a stand of scrub pines. He’d been following the same trail all night, and Jim checked his watch. It was just after midnight.

Time to go.

He turned and Ross looked at him, Jim’s movement alerting him to what he needed to do. Jim nodded once in the direction of the guard and saw Ross smile. He’d been so good, cooped up and crouched down for hours, and he would enjoy this first kill. Jim watched him reach into the front pocket of his jeans and retrieve the black latex gloves that Jim had given him from his bag in the car and put them on, then unfold from the ground and disappear into the scrub behind them, silent as a shadow and almost impossible to see. Then he retreated a little to Richie who was turned, a mystified look on his face. He glanced back at Jim.

‘Where is he going?’ he mouthed and Jim just smiled in reply.

**********

Ross moved like a ghost through the scrub, his footfalls landing slowly and deliberately.

He loved this, had missed it far more than he’d thought. The air here smelt different and the noises were unfamiliar but the stars above him were similar enough to recall his happy hunting ground in France and how many nights he’d spent there doing this very thing.

The guard was clumsy and loud and Ross tracked him easily. There was a single tree where he would stop and have a cigarette and that was where Ross would kill him, coming up behind to throw one arm around his neck before driving the knife home.

He crouched and waited as the man walked past close enough for Ross to smell the over sweet-aftershave he wore. If he’d reached out with one hand he could have brushed the man’s trousers with his fingertips. Instead he held his position and watched him walk into the shadows by the tree. He stood as slowly as he could, reaching under his shirt for the hilt of the knife, easing it out silently and holding it blade pointed up towards his elbow as Jim had taught him. Then he started towards the guard.

The guard was scrabbling in his pocket, cigarette already perched in his mouth, when Ross got to him. He heard something at the last minute but had no time to verbalise a warning as Ross hit him hard, his right arm going around the man’s neck and his left bringing the knife up and then down as he yanked the man’s head to the side. The perfectly honed blade sank in, hitting bone and Ross held his hand over the man’s mouth as he twisted it just hard enough to release and then yanked it out again.

The blood gushed out in a thick hot stream, coating his gloved hand and bare forearm. The coppery stink was rich and cloying at close quarters and Ross inhaled deeply as he struck again and again until the man’s neck resembled a piece of carelessly hacked meat. The man was clearly going into shock from the massive blood loss, starting to spasm in Ross’ arms. Ross stopped and then laid him down. The blood from the man’s neck had soaked into his shirt and sleeve and he smiled as he looked down at him, the blackness of the blood soaking into the sand underneath the man. He would have loved to stay and play for a bit, but Jim had given him strict instructions and he knew he needed to follow them to the letter.

Ross stood up and waited. It wasn’t long before Jim and Richie appeared. He noted the approving look Jim gave him. Richie, however, stopped dead and stared at the now dead guard on the ground. Jim looked at him and then nodded to the shed. Ross sheathed the knife and then walked over to the shed, a dilapidated wooden affair. The door was padlocked, but he retrieved his lock picks prom his pocket and it was open in under a minute. Inside it was pretty much empty. He looked back at Jim and nodded.

***********

Jim saw the nod and looked meaningfully at Richie, keeping his smile under wraps as Richie’s eyes widened.

‘No!’ he hissed. Jim glared at him and then unholstered his weapon and pointed it in Richie’s face. Richie’s eyes bulged.

‘See this.’ Jim hissed back. ‘This is what you can expect if someone finds him. Now pick up his goddamned legs so we can put him in there.’ He put the gun back and Richie bent, getting hold of the guard’s legs while Jim got him under the arms. The man was a dead weight and Jim could see Richie huffing a little. He had a gym honed physique but nothing really kept you in shape like hauling corpses around. They got the man into the shed and Jim closed the door behind him, so they were standing in the dark.

‘One down.’ he whispered. ‘Good work, baby.’ He could almost hear Ross preening at the praise he was being given and Jim smiled. Ross was, as he’d thought he would, turning out to be a natural. ‘Next step is to take out the other four and then cut the power. That should bring the others out.’ He turned to Richie, who was just visible as a dark outline. ‘You are staying here.’ He crouched down and used the Civilian to cut away the strap of the Gilboa and handed it to him. Richie took it. ‘Anyone comes that isn’t one of us, you mow the fucker down. And for the love of God, DO NOT LEAVE THIS SHED.’ The last was hissed so venomously that Richie actually took a step back.

‘All right.’ he hissed back.

‘What are you two going to do?’

‘What we do best.’ Jim replied, looking at Ross. ‘Now stay the fuck here. Do not leave until we come back for you.’ He held out his hand. ‘And give me your weapon.’ Richie hesitated and Jim huffed and beckoned for it impatiently. ‘Come on, I don’t have all fucking night.’ Richie reached under his jacket and took out his .45 and handed it to Jim. Jim checked it briefly and then stuck it down the back of his jeans.

‘So now what?’ Ross asked, his voice so low Jim could only just hear him.

‘We’ll wait here.’ he said. ‘Someone will come looking for him.’ He nudged the corpse with his foot. ‘When they do, we deal with them. That means only the three on the front porch left. You hit the power and I take them out then in we go.’

‘Sounds kind of fun.’ Ross smiled. He sounded like he was raring to go.’

‘Sounds fucking dangerous.’ Richie hissed. ‘You’re going to shoot three of them?’

‘Yes.’ Jim said like he was talking to a child. ‘I’m going to shoot three of them.’ He huffed. ‘Jesus fuck Rich. What do you think I was doing all those years?’

‘I don’t know.’ Richie said and he sounded like he was more confused than he’d ever been.

‘I’m the enforcer, Rich.’ Jim shook his head. ‘I used to kill people for your father and mine all the time.’ He sighed. ‘I thought I was done with that, but then your dumb arse had to get this fucking rolling.’

‘Hey.’ Ross sounded urgent and he broke off.

Then they heard it, the sound of footsteps.

They all froze and Jim took the Civilian and his gloves from his pocket. He put the gloves on and nodded once at Ross ,moving to the door and easing the blade open. It didn’t take long for him to hear the guard call out.

‘Ernesto?’

‘ _Si_?’ Jim replied. He held his breath, and then heard the man coming to the shed.

‘ _Qué estás haciendo ahí_?’ the man called, and Jim opened the door and bolted through so quickly that he took the guard completely by surprise. He hit him hard, shoulder first and the man flew backwards off his feet, Jim on top of him before he could struggle. He got hold of the guard’s hair and banged his head back against the ground, stunning him before he used the knife to stab down once and then rip across his throat, the Civilian opening it as easily as if it had been cutting through paper. It cut through the man’s larynx, cutting off the cry. The blood shot out, the arterial pressure making it hit him in the neck and chest, soaking through the cloth of his shirt. Ross come up behind him not a second later. Jim looked back at him and their eyes met. It was impossible to miss the excitement in Ross’ face.

‘Later.’ Jim whispered. He turned back to guard, holding him down as the blood slowed and ran out over his hand where it was holding the man’s neck. Ross knelt down next to him, reaching out and trailing his fingers through it.

Eventually the guard had stopped shaking, his eyes glazing over as he started to die. Jim sat back on him, and looked towards the house.

‘They’ll be here in a second.’ he said. Ross straightened up. He could now hear someone else calling.

‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked.

‘The fuse box will be at the back of the house.’ Jim replied. ‘Throw everything and then get in and kill anyone that’s not Carmen.’

‘And you?’ Ross asked.

‘I’ll go in the front.’ Jim grinned. He usually didn’t get like this, but his heart was pounding now in a way it hadn’t done in years. He normally got off on the control, of having someone in his tunnels where he could stalk them and play with them as he chose, but this was far out of his comfort zone and he was finding it exhilarating. He took out both weapons and Ross raise his eyebrows.

‘That’s a little yippi-kai-yay motherfucker for you isn’t it?’ he asked, his whisper not quite masking his amusement and Jim realised he wasn’t the only one suddenly getting a kick out of what was happening and he couldn’t resist. He reached out, his bloody glove leaving streaks of black on Ross’ skin as he wrapped his hand around the side of Ross’ neck, thumb coming to rest on the pulse beating just under Ross’ jaw. Ross leaned into him, his mouth already open when Jim kissed him, tongue sliding in and running along Jim’s top teeth. Jim responded and their mouths connected properly, the kiss turning deep. He felt himself starting to get hard and pushed Ross away, loving the tiny disappointed sound he got.

‘Later.’ he breathed. ‘Round the back, hit the fuse box. Go.’ Ross got up, melting back into the shadows. Jim waited until he was lost to sight and then got to his feet. He started walking towards the lights of the house, rolling his shoulders once and picking up speed until he came out of the scrub at a run. There was a yell and he bought up the gun in his left hand, sighting and firing so quickly that anyone watching would have been hard pressed to track it. He let off three double taps, half the mag, and then threw himself forward, diving forward at the sound of return gun fire, his shoulder hitting the ground, and twisting to roll up onto one knee, firing with his right hand. The two men in his sights dropped, bloody spots blossoming on their clothes and telling him his shots had found their marks.

There was SUV parked nearby and Jim scrambled to his feet and ducked behind it, hearing the sound of the bullets shatter the windows. One hit a tyre and it deflated with a loud pop. He knelt behind the wheel arch and listened. There were shouts now in Spanish, curses and threats. He also heard the front door slam open and grinned as the little ruse did what he wanted it to.

‘Come on, baby.’ he breathed.

Almost on cue, the lights went off.

Jim popped up from behind the SUV, both guns blazing. He shot until they were empty, then ducked back down, listening to the guns go off while he reloaded his own with the spare mag he carried and discarded Richie’s, then moved forward into the scrub until he was hidden from view. It didn’t take him long to flank the right side of the house. He could see bobbing lights as the occupants moved towards the car with flashlights. He moved towards the porch where he could just make out two figures standing there, shouting directions.

He stopped, aimed and pulled the trigger, both feet planted firmly. The muzzle flashed brightly and the two people dropped. There was a yell from the remaining three looking around the car and then the screaming inside started. Jim burst out from the scrub, leaping up onto the porch and firing at the oncoming men. He slammed into the front door as something skimmed his upper arm, the resulting pain travelling fiery and swift through him. Jim ignored it, falling through and hitting the ground hard and moving to sit with his back against the wall. He waited a moment before leaning into the open doorway and firing indiscriminately until the click of the empty mag made him fall back. He’d obviously hit something because he heard someone screaming.

‘Ross!’ he yelled and dropped as bullets peppered the front of the house. He looked around and saw he was in what appeared to be a living room, a couple of scattered pieces of furniture pushed up against the peeling walls and threadbare carpet underneath him. He also saw the outline of a body slumped over and crawled towards it. It was a thick set man, and a quick run of Jim’s fingers over his chest found the stab wounds that told him Ross had been through this way. He also found a gun and holstered his own. A second sweep of the man’s body found another mag that was still full.

Then the bullets stopped.

‘ _Cabrón_!’ the shout came from outside. ‘You can’t go anywhere!’

‘You think?’ Jim yelled back. He moved back until he was lying just under the window, now broken, heedless of the broken glass he was lying on. ‘I can go all night, motherfucker!’ He got back into a sitting position, knees up and resting his head against the wall.

‘Do you really think you should be telling them that?’ a voice hissed and Jim looked across to see Ross crouched in the doorway that led out of the living room. He was smiling, blood splattered all over his face and arms.

‘The girls?’ Jim asked and Ross nodded towards the back of the room.

‘They’re locked in a room at the back. I told them to get under the beds and stay until we go get them.’ Ross said.

‘Anyone else?’ Jim asked and Ross shook his head.

‘There were another two in the back.’ he said, smugness oozing from every word. ‘Not anymore though.’

‘Clever boy.’ Jim said. ‘Do me a favour, go get their guns and the magazines as well.’ There was a burst of gun fire and they both ducked, arms over their heads. It stopped eventually and they both looked at each other.

‘This is like the fucking OK Corral.’ Ross muttered and crawled off. Jim stared after him and then started laughing.

‘Yeah, I guess it is.’ he replied to the empty room.

It suddenly struck him that he’d been laughing a lot since he’d met Ross. Every damn day in fact.

There was another series of shouts outside. Jim listened to them and realised that the remaining men where obviously sheltering behind the SUV. There was a noise and Ross crawled back to where he’d been sitting. He had the guns and mags and he got into the same position as Jim, back against the door frame.

You know, you take me to the best places.’ he quipped and Jim snorted.

‘Shut up and just give me the fucking things, will you.’ he retorted and Ross chuckled then slid the guns and mags over to him.

‘I will admit it’s probably been the most interesting date you’ve ever taken me on.’ he said.

‘Even better than the arsehole that called you a fag at Madison Square Garden?’ Jim asked. That had been a very fun night, especially the part where they had fucked in front of the guy and then taken turns cutting bits off of him.

‘Okay, maybe second best.’ Ross said, his voice rich with love and laughter.

It took only a second for Jim to make the decision.

‘Hey, Ross.’ he said and Ross turned to look at him.

‘What?’ he asked and then they both had to duck again as another slew of bullets hit the front of the house. When it stopped Jim locked eyes with Ross. Ross stared back at him, his eyes black in the gloom.

Jim took a deep breath and then took the jump.

‘Marry me.’ he said.

At first he thought Ross hadn’t heard him. Then he saw how the dark eyes widened and the sunshine smile spread across the face of the man who’d come to be his entire world.

‘Yes.’ Ross replied. He looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should scream or laugh or burst into tears. He seemed to settle for laughing. ‘Fuck, yes.’

Jim suddenly realised that he’d been holding his breath. He breathed out and started laughing as well.

‘If we make it out of here, that is.’ he said.

‘We better.’ Ross replied. ‘You owe me a fuck.’ That only made Jim laugh harder. He could hear the men muttering in confusion outside and picked up the guns Ross had thrown to him. He loaded in the fresh mags and hefted them in his hands, getting a feel for them. He looked at Ross, giving him his best devil may care smile.

‘You know I love you, right?’ he said. ‘Like crazy fuck-me-I-am-stupid-for-you love you.’ He hadn’t thought Ross’ smile could get any brighter.

He was wrong.

Jim looked towards the back of the house.

‘Time to finish this shit.’ he said. ‘Go in the back and break the girls out. We’re going to have a grand finale.’

‘How?’ Ross asked.

‘Leave that to me.’ Jim said. ‘There a back door?’

‘No, I came in through the bathroom window.’ Ross said.

‘Go out the same way. Get them in the trees and keep your head down.’ Jim looked at him. ‘I’ll be right behind you.’

‘You better fucking be.’ Ross said and then he was up and gone.

Jim breathed in deeply and then got down and rolled into the open doorway, getting up on his elbows and firing below the chassis of the SUV. There was a shriek of pain and he grinned, knowing he’d hit someone. The he rolled again, taking him to the doorway of the kitchen. He got up and moved in. He swept the room for a second and then spotted what he wanted. He ditched one gun on the table and backed up. The kitchen led to a corridor and Jim moved to the end. He saw Ross working at a door, then shouldering it open. Three figures came tumbling out and one threw her arms around him.

‘Ross.’ Carmen’s voice was so full of relief that Jim could hardly stand it. He kept his back braced against the doorframe as she looked behind her. ‘Jaime.’

‘Not now, chiquita.’ He kept his voice calm. ‘You go with Ross, baby girl. Don’t look back and don’t wait for me.’ She nodded and he felt a swell of pride. ‘Ross, give me your lighter.’ He saw Ross frown and then he dug his Zippo out of his pocket and chucked it at him. Jim caught it neatly and nodded at the bathroom just along the corridor.

‘Get going,’ he said. Ross herded the girls in front of him and into the bathroom. Jim watched the kitchen doorway. He knew the men outside had probably realised there was no more shooting coming from the living room. Behind him he heard Ross helping the girls through the window and then getting through himself. Jim moved across the kitchen, going to the stove, gun still at the ready as he turned the dials. The sound of hissing gas filled the kitchen and he backed away quickly down the corridor as he heard the first sound of the men coming onto the porch. They were moving carefully, hesitant. He waited until he saw the tip of a barrel pass the door frame and fired. There was a flurry of curses in Spanish and then they came in, guns blazing. Jim turned and sprinted down the short passage to the bathroom, turning and flicking the Zippo on and igniting it. He got to the bathroom and hurled the lighter down the passage just as they got to the end and then slammed the door shut and threw himself into the bathtub and curled up as best he could. He squeezed his eyes closed, clapped his hands over his ears and then the whole world went bright.

**********

Ross had just made it to the far edge of the stand of trees when the blast went off. The shock wave was enough to make him stumble forward onto his hands and knees. He got up, ears ringing and looked back at the house. The sky was bright with flames and his heart jumped onto his mouth.

‘Fuck!’ He turned to Carmen. She was standing with Maria and Esme, her face tear streaked but unblemished. ‘Wait here, I need to go find Jim!’ She nodded and he ran back towards where the house had been. He got to the clearing and saw that pretty much the whole back had been blown out. Frantic, he started scrambling over the debris until a voice caught his attention. He turned and saw Jim extricating himself from the rubble where the bathroom had been. There was blood running down the side of his face and Ross could see a fresh gash on his cheek. There was also injuries to his shoulder and upper arm and the blood was running down his skin and over his hand, dripping off his gloved fingers. He looked shell shocked, swaying on his feet. Ross didn’t hesitate. He ran over to him, footing be damned and caught him in his arms, holding on so tightly Jim whined a little in protest.

‘Ross.’ he said, trying to fend Ross off as he peppered his face with kisses. ‘I’m okay.’ He managed to get an arm between them and pushed him off. ‘I’m fine, you idiot.’

‘JAIME!’ the screech was at super human levels of pitch. They turned and the next thing Carmen was in Jim’s arms, hugging him just as hard as Ross had. She was crying now, breathy sobs coming quickly as her brave front finally collapsed. Jim sighed and wrapped his arms around her in turn, kissing the top of her head the same way he did to Ross.

‘It’s all right, baby girl.’ he said soothingly. ‘I’m alive.’

‘You came.’ she cried, almost incoherent. ‘You came to get me.’

‘Of course I did.’ he said, raising one hand to stroke her hair. ‘You really thing I would let those bastards hurt you?’ He looked at Ross.

The moment was short lived as they spotted an equally incoherent Richie hurtling from his hiding place in the scrub.

‘CARMEN!’ he roared and she raised her head, surprise and then delight on her face. Richie skirted the house and she broke away from Jim and ran headlong into his arms. Richie grabbed her and held her close, and then they were both crying and babbling in broken Spanish. The other two girls had started to cry as well, hanging onto each other for support.

Ross stepped back to Jim, pulling him back in and enfolding him in his arms.

‘You arsehole.’ he muttered into Jim’s sooty hair. ‘Don’t you ever fucking do that again.’ Jim laughed and then started coughing.

‘I’ll try not to.’ he replied. ‘But for now can I suggest we get the fuck out of here.’ Ross nodded and they started to walk out of the debris. ‘Ricardo! Come on.’ Richie nodded and he and Carmen followed, their arms still around each other, Esme and Maria trailing behind.


	18. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the hell out of Miami...

The walk back to the car was painfully slow. The girls were still traumatised and crying and Jim was limping slightly. They finally made it and they all climbed in. It was a squash, but they finally got the doors closed. Ross was driving, refusing to let Jim get in the driver’s side. He adjusted the chair and started the car. Next to him, Jim pulled off his bloodstained gloves and then nodded at Ross’ hands. Ross did the same and handed them to him and Jim stuffed them all in one pocket. The blood on his arm and face was tacky and smudged. Ross looked at his own skin, admiring the dark splatters.

‘Go back to where we left Richie’s car.’ Jim said. ‘He can take the girls back. We’ll follow as far as Homestead and then there’s a place we can go to clean up. They’ll take us up to Jacksonville and we can get on the train and head back to New York as soon as possible. That should be enough distance to throw off anyone trying to find us.’ He sighed heavily and looked at where Richie was sitting in the back of the car, Carmen in his arms. Their eyes met.

‘ _Gracias, Jaime_.’ Richie said, his voice barely above a whisper.

‘I didn’t do it for you.’ Jim said evenly. He looked at Carmen. ‘She’s my sister too.’ Carmen didn’t say anything. Instead she stretched out her hand and Jim reached over the back seat and took it.

‘ _Te amo, Jaime_.’ she whispered. Jim’s dimples gave a half-hearted flicker.

‘I love you too, baby girl.’ he replied and Ross felt his heart constrict. He glanced across at Jim, seeing the soft look he was directing at Carmen, the way he held onto her hand. It made him feel horribly protective of them both, something he wasn’t used to feeling.

He drove along the road until they got to the turn off that Richie had driven his car down. Ross pulled in and stopped just behind Richie’s car. He noticed that is wasn’t the silver Mercedes, rather a dark saloon.

‘At least you had the sense not to bring your own car.’ Jim said. Richie didn’t reply. Instead he sat up and Carmen moved with him.

‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked and he sounded a thousand years old.

‘Take the girls to the house.’ Jim said. ‘Let them get cleaned up. None of this is going anywhere near the police. Call Javi and tell him his boys can deliver the message.’

‘All right.’ Richie replied. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘Get the fuck out of dodge.’ Jim said. He had straightened up as well. ‘We’ll call when we’re on our way.’

‘Hey.’ Carmen said. ‘Did you open your Christmas presents yet?’

‘No, we didn’t get a chance to.’ Jim said and Ross started as he remembered. It was true. The presents the Vasquez family had given them were still in Jim’s bag.

‘Me either.’ Carmen said with a half-smile so like Jim’s that Ross was momentarily astonished. So much for blood relatives. ‘Open them on the train.’

‘Okay.’ Jim lay back against the seat. ‘Now get going. Your parents are very anxious to see you.’ Carmen leaned forward, her head resting against Jim’s head and whispered something to him that Ross couldn’t catch. Then she moved to get out the car.

‘Oh.’ There was a smile in Jim’s voice. ‘I forgot to ask you, chiquita. How do you fancy being a bridesmaid?’ Carmen stopped dead halfway out of the car and looked at first him and then Ross, her eyes going wide.

‘You asked him?’ She was breathless.

‘I did.’ Jim said, looking at Ross and smiling at him. Ross then found himself on the receiving end of those penetrating dark eyes.

‘Did you say yes?’ she demanded. Ross returned Jim’s smile.

‘Yeah, I did.’ he replied. ‘It’s not every day you get a marriage proposal during a gun fight.’

‘But do me a favour.’ Jim said. ‘Let us get out of Miami before you tell _Mami_ , okay?’

‘Okay.’ Carmen said then slid out the car and closed the door. They watched her walk over to where Richie was holding the door for her and get in.

‘Will she be all right?’ Ross asked and Jim sighed.

‘She’s a tough girl.’ He shifted in his seat. ‘She’ll be fine. It would take a fuck load more to break her.’ The car’s lights came on and Richie pulled off, leaving them in darkness.

‘Where to?’ Ross asked and he started to reach for the key, stopping when he felt Jim’s hand on his arm. He turned and looked into his eyes, made indigo by the dim light.

‘Head up the road for a bit.’ Jim said. ‘There should be a turn off to the right. Take that and just keep going.’ He settled back against the seat and Ross started the car and pulled out onto the road. He followed at a reasonable distance from Richie.

‘What will happen now?’ he asked.

‘The message will be delivered in a few hours. Our guys will be keeping him alive long enough to make sure he tells the Colloscos who did this but for us to be well out of the way. Once they find out, they’ll be down here soon enough.’ He smiled. ‘No cell reception out here so no other way than to come down and see for themselves.’

‘Will they go to the cops?’ Ross asked and Jim shook his head.

‘No.’ he replied. ‘They don’t get them involved. This was personal and now we’ve sent a reply that says very clearly that if they fuck with us, we fuck with them.’ He looked at Ross. ‘Between us we killed nine men tonight. A couple of them will be high up people they didn't want to lose.’

‘There weren’t any other girls there though.’ Ross frowned as he said that, realising that maybe he’d missed something.

‘They’d probably moved them on already.’ Jim replied. ‘Can’t save everyone, baby.’ He reached up andput the interior light on and pulled down the visor, peering at the gash on his cheek. It was gummed closed with drying blood, and it didn’t look nearly as bad as it had. He pulled at the shredded right sleeve of his t-shirt and inspected the injury. As he’d suspected, the bullet had just nicked him and taken out a negligible chunk of skin and flesh. He pressed in around it with his fingertips, and felt the pain flare.

‘You okay?’ The concern in Ross’ voice made Jim feel warm.

‘I’m all right.’ he said. ‘Just got to get these cleaned up. He looked at Ross, their roles reversed from earlier. Ross’ face was blotchy, a patchwork of pale skin and maroon stains. He looked utterly beautiful to Jim’s eyes. A fuzzy feeling, quite unfamiliar to him, started to well up and threaten to overwhelm him. ‘You said yes.’ He watched the corner of Ross’ mouth twitch.

‘You asked.’ he replied, like that was somehow an explanation. He eventually couldn’t stop himself though and started smiling. ‘Fuck.’

‘You could always back out.’ Jim said. ‘Say I proposed in circumstances which put you under duress.’ He grinned at the look of outrage on Ross’ face.

‘Not a fucking chance.’ he snorted. ‘You proposed, I said yes. We’re getting married. That’s the rules.’ His assertion made Jim laugh.

‘I don’t know if you’d really want to marry someone like me?’ he teased. ‘Getting you into gunfights, making you consort with criminals.’ He caught sight of the turn off. ‘Turn here.’ Ross did as he asked, turning onto the road that ran off into the scrub. It was dirt, hard packed white sand under the wheels kicking up dust.

‘Where are we going?’ Ross asked.

‘Just keep driving.’ Jim said. ‘You’ll see.’ The suspension bounced as they proceeded down the road until Jim directed Ross to take another turn off. This road was even narrower and it terminated in a chalky circle. ‘Stop here.’ Ross braked and turned off the car then looked at Jim. It was dark but not absolutely pitch black.

‘Get out the car.’ Jim said. Ross frowned.

‘What?’ he asked, not sure he had heard properly.

‘Get out the car.’ Jim repeated. He reached over and gave Ross a gentle shove. ‘Go on.’ He opened his own door and got out. Ross stayed in the car as he walked around the front. Jim leaned down and smiled as he looked through the windscreen. ‘Come on, loser. Come look at this.’ Ross finally opened his door and got out, leaving the headlights on. He slammed the door shut came around the front of the car, moving to lean back against the hood like Jim was, feeling the residual warmth behind him. Jim felt him lean into him and put his arm around Ross’ body, pulling him in. In front of them stretched open land that terminated in the horizon which was a thin black line against the unearthly reflected light that came from the city to the north. It made the sky look an odd orangey green colour, but that shifted and changed to deep blue further up, punctuated with stars.

‘It’s beautiful.’ Ross said.

‘It’s nice down here.’ Jim replied. ‘Richie and I used to come down here, smoke, kick back a bit.’

‘You still angry with him?’ Ross asked, looking at him.

‘Yeah.’ Jim said. ‘It’s going to take a while.’ He shifted closer to Ross. ‘So, spring wedding?’

‘I don’t like spring.’ Ross said. ‘It gives me hay fever. Autumn is nice. I like the long days.’ Jim chuckled.

‘Autumn it is then.’ he said. ‘You want to tell your parents?’

‘I suppose I should.’ Ross grinned. ‘Shandra said I should get you to buy me a huge rock.’

‘She would.’ Jim replied. ‘We could do the whole ring thing if you want.’

‘No.’ Ross leaned his head on Jim’s shoulder. ‘Can we have a proper announcement?’

‘Of course.’ Jim was smiling. ‘But I’m not doing church.’ He nosed at Ross’ cheek. ‘We could elope to Los Vegas.’

‘Classy.’ Ross snickered. ‘No, I want something that will make Cilla go fucking green with envy.’

‘I think I may have just the thing.’ Jim said and then he half turned, his fingers running over the particularly large blood stain at Ross’ jaw, dark stubble rasping under his fingertips.

‘Do you ever stop and wonder?’ Ross asked, lowering his head to kiss Jim’s fingers. ‘How we managed to find each other?’

‘Blind fucking luck.’ Jim said and kissed him. Ross kissed back and Jim felt the first flashes of heat going through him. He still hurt, but as Ross reached up and put his hand on the side of his neck, Jim suddenly couldn’t stop. He placed his own hand on Ross’ wrist, turning completely to press him against the hood of the car. He ran both hands down Ross’ sides, getting to his thighs and then bending slightly to lift Ross up and onto the hood of the car. Ross went easily, his backside sliding along the hood and Jim ran both hands down until he could hook his hands behind Ross’ knees and tip him over onto his back. ‘You ever been fucked on a car?’

‘No.’ Ross said and smiled. ‘But I’m about to be.’ Jim laughed, the desire he’d felt earlier coming back in a rush of heat through his chest. He leaned over and Ross pushed up to meet him. They kissed, slow and deep, until Jim felt Ross’ hands on the hem of his shirt.

‘Off.’ Ross breathed when they separated. Jim lifted his arms, wincing a little as the fabric caught on his injury. Ross chucked it aside and then ran his fingers lightly around the bullet wound. Jim turned slightly to let him see it and then Ross dipped his head, his tongue brushing along the edges of it ever so softly. Jim’s breathing caught and he watched Ross licking off the dark stickiness. Ross looked up at him, their eyes locking. It went right through Jim and then his control snapped.

He pulled away and hauled Ross up into his arms, grabbing at his t-shirt and pulling it over Ross’ head before dropping it to the floor. He turned him around and shoved him back onto the hood of the car. Ross braced himself on his hands, breathing picking up rapidly as Jim dragged his nails down his back, arching and panting when he then followed it with his mouth in the opposite direction, licking up Ross’ spine. He tasted like sweat and arousal and Jim bit down on his pale skin, leaving a mark. Ross moaned.

‘Do we even have time for this?’ he breathed and Jim straightened up and kicked his feet apart.

‘I said later.’ He reached around and Ross lifted so he could undo his belt. ‘It’s later.’ He yanked hard, dragging Ross’ jeans and briefs down and shoving at them until they were around his thighs. Ross was on his elbows, slayed out over the hood, is panting rapid and loud. Jim leaned back over him, the skin on skin contact between them making him moan in turn. He ran his hand down Ross back, sliding his fingers down until he found something he hadn’t expected.

‘Oh, you little slut.’ he said as his fingers encountered wetness. ‘That’s what you were doing in the bathroom?’ He slid two fingers in, the lube making it easy. Ross’ head dropped and he shook under Jim’s other hand, now resting between his shoulder blades. His fingers played out against the hood and Jim could see the muscles in his back flex as he pushed back onto his fingers. He thrust in hard, fingers twisting to find and press into Ross’ prostate. Ross whined and spread his legs further, thrusting down and back. He was moaning brokenly and Jim dragged his fingers out slowly, then slammed them back in. He moved his other hand to Ross’ shoulder, holding him still as he pumped his hand and Ross started to cry out, the sound filling the night air.

‘Please…’ It was choked out and Ross sounded like he was almost crying in frustration. ‘Please, I need you inside me.’ Jim pulled his fingers out, his desperation matching Ross’ and undid his belt.

‘Get down.’ he ordered. ‘Take your clothes off.’ He watched as Ross pushed up off the hood and turned back around. He pulled his jeans back up gain to be able to better move around in them and then knelt, no mean feat with a hard on the likes of which he was currently sporting. Jim shoved at his own jeans, pulling his cock out and stroking to relieve some of the pressure. Ross got the laces of both boots undone and toed them off, then made short work of his socks, jeans and briefs. The clothes were left in a pile on the white sand and Jim moved back towards him, all focus as Ross jumped back up onto the hood, legs spread invitingly, and lay back. Jim got one knee up and crawled over him, bracing himself on his hands and feeling the last of the engine’s heat fading away. Under him, Ross looked into his eyes and reached down to guide him in. There was resistance and then acceptance and Jim pushed in, going deep on the first thrust and then staying there, feeling Ross’ body tighten around him. He kept himself braced on his left hand and reached up with his right, fingers dragging over the bloodstains on Ross’ face and neck until he could wrap his fingers around Ross’ throat. He squeezed lightly and Ross hooked his feet around Jim’s thighs and inhaled sharply, his lips parted and his eyes wide. They didn’t speak, the only sound their commingled pants as Jim started to move, deep slow rolls of his hips that pushed Ross up the hood of the car. He bent his right knee up to give him more leverage and then started to move a little deeper and harder. He started to moan in time with Ross, both of them lost in each other’s eyes.

This wasn’t just fucking. This was something deeper and stronger and every breath they took in time with each other cemented them, made them more than what they already were. Jim leaned down and their mouths connected, tongue thrusting into Ross’ mouth in time with his body. Ross opened up and took him, his hands on Jim’s backside to steady him and pull him in as deep as he could go. Jim tightened his hand a little more and Ross whimpered. Jim released his mouth, kissing down his jaw and neck.

‘I would kill for you.’ he breathed. ‘I would die for you.’ He moved back and looked at Ross again. ‘You are my life.’

‘I love you.’ Ross’s voice was so soft and breathless Jim could only just hear him.

‘I love you too.’ he replied and then it came, not the thunderbolt intensity that it normally was, but so deep and slow and profound that it made Jim lose sense of everything around him. His whole body shuddered uncontrollably as it went on and on and he only dimly heard Ross cry out in turn as he came moments after.

Jim dropped his forehead to Ross’. Holding on and keeping them both afloat until their breathing evened out and slowed. He kissed the tip of Ross’ nose and Ross crinkled it.

‘Just so you know, I’m not taking your name.’ he said and Jim laughed.

*********

They got to the safe house and went in while it was still dark, coming out clean and dressed back in their street clothes, having left all their bloody clothing and Jim’s gun behind just as the sun was starting to come up. Javi had arrived with a car to take them to Jacksonville and he’d told them that Richie and Carmen were home safe, the other girls reunited with their families.

They’d showered and dressed and Ross had decided to hold onto the knife Jim had given him, stowing it at the bottom of his bag. They had gone out to the driveway afterwards and got into the car driven by Javi and with another one of the men from the dinner in the front passenger seat. Jim and Ross got in the back and Ross settled in with his back against Jim’s body and his head in the hollow of Jim’s shoulder, his arm thrown around Ross’ neck. Javi had put a Santo and Johnny cd on and the music filled the car, lulling them both to sleep.

Ross reached up, fingers grazing the bandage around the wound in Jim’s upper arm that was sticking out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt. There had been a doctor at the safe house and he’d stitched closed the hole left by the bullet after Jim was cleaned up. Ross had been horribly impressed by Jim’s stoicism in the face of no anaesthetic as he’d watched it being stitched, fascinated by the needle going through the skin and how it was pulled closed and tied off by the black surgical thread. Jim had simply sat there and breathed deeply, the little twitches in his jaw the only sign that he was in pain. The gash in his face had turned out not to be too deep and he now had some butterfly sutures over it. Ross shifted to look back at him. Jim’s eyes were closed and his head was pillowed on the hoodie he’d taken from his bag, his thick fair lashes shading the freckles on his cheeks and making him look like a teenager. Ross reached up and traced the glimmer of blond stubble at his jaw and Jim smiled without opening his eyes.

‘Go to sleep, baby.’ he said. ‘It’s five hours to Jacksonville.’

‘ _Si_.’ Javi said from the front seat. ‘You should get some sleep while you can. We’ll get there in time to get you on the train at six. In fact you’ll have enough time for lunch.’ He glanced at Ross in the rear view mirror and his fat cheeks creased in a smile. ‘Even do some sightseeing.’

‘And then it’s home by two tomorrow afternoon.’ Jim murmured. ‘We can sleep in our bed.’ His voice was already fading and Ross snuggled in deeper and let himself drift off.


	19. Back In New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back home again...

Jim woke with a start in strange surroundings. It took a while for him to realise where he was and that the swaying movement was that of the train. Then he relaxed and sank back down into the bunk. 

They had boarded the train the previous evening in Jacksonville, and then gone straight to eat. By the time they had come back the bunks had been turned down. They’d split the bottle of champagne Ross had bought at a shop in Jacksonville and that had resulted in them both passing out from overstimulation at about ten. 

He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and looked around. The sleeper compartment was empty and Jim frowned. He dug out his watch from his bag on the floor next to the lower bunk and saw that it was just after eleven. Ross, being the perpetual child, had insisted on having the upper one and Jim had happily let him take it. He’d been too tired to scramble up and had simple divested himself most of his clothes and fallen into the bunk in his boxers and t-shirt. Ross had whined about wanting to fuck on the train, but Jim had ignored him and eventually Ross had climbed into his own bunk. He’d rambled drunkenly at Jim for about ten minutes and then gone quiet. 

Now, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Jim sat up and stretched, feeling the pull of muscles in his shoulders and back. He threw back the covers and swung his feet down to the floor and got up. The sleeper compartment came with its own toilet and shower and he stumbled into the cubicle. He was leaning against the wall with one hand, still half-asleep when he heard the compartment door slide open and closed again.

‘Babe?’ Ross said and he yawned.

‘In here.’ he replied, pushing off from the wall and flushing the toilet. He came back out, arms above his head as he tilted his head first to one side and then the other, hearing the bones in his neck crack. Ross was sitting on Jim’s bunk and he held out both arms. Jim walked into them and Ross pushed his t-shirt up, trailing soft kisses over his abdomen. 

‘I tried to get you up for breakfast.’ he said. ‘But you told me to go fuck myself.’ He looked up at Jim and grinned. Jim noticed that he was scruffy and ran one hand over the dark stubble. ‘I have to say I was tempted seeing how you left me in the lurch last night.’ 

‘Still asleep.’ Jim replied. He dragged his thumb over Ross’ full mouth and Ross caught it between his teeth, biting down a little before he let him go.

‘Your dad also called.’ he said. ‘He said to ring him when we get back to the flat.’ He moved so Jim could sit back down and then leaned in and peered critically at the sutures on his face. Jim watched him, smiling. 

‘I’m fine.’ he said.

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’ Ross replied. ‘How’s the arm?’

‘Sore, but I’ll live.’ Jim said. ‘Just don’t hit me in it for a few days.’ 

‘It’s only a few hours till we get to New York.’ Ross said. ‘You want to have a shower and I’ll redress it for you?’

‘No.’ Jim rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I plan on taking a very long bath when I get home.’ He leaned over, kissing Ross lightly. ‘With you.’ 

‘Can we get Joe’s tonight?’ Ross asked. ‘That way neither of us have to cook. I feel like I really don’t want to do anything.’

‘Sure.’ Jim tucked his feet up and pulled the covers back over him. ‘I’m going back to sleep. Wake me when we’re an hour out.’

‘Okay.’ Ross said. He climbed back up into his top bunk. Jim settled in, letting out a long sigh. He was sore, much more than he let on the thought of a very long bath with enough lavender to float the French economy beckoned like a siren song in the back of his head. He would even indulge Ross’ passion for Chinese food because it meant more time to just lie around. They would also be back a few days early and need to keep a low profile. He started to drift off in a dream of not going anywhere or doing anything, but simply hiding in their flat and eating far too much food and binge watching something unsuitable. 

‘Jim?’ Ross voice broke in and he shifted and looked at the bunk above him.

‘Yeah, baby?’ he asked.

‘Is it okay if I call and tell Mathilde that we’re…engaged?’ 

Jim smiled. He could hear that Ross was stifling his excitement.

‘Call her.’ he said. ‘Call your mom too. I’m sure she wouldn’t be very happy to find out that her son is getting married after Mathilde.’

‘I know.’ Ross said. ‘But she’s probably going to be pissed anyway. I mean, I’m only twenty-three. And I have no career to speak of.’ The laughter bubbled up in his voice. ‘Oh yes, and you’re a guy.’

‘I think she could probably get past that. Whatever you do, don’t tell her I’m a Republican.’ Jim said. ‘She’d probably explode in a fit of Royalist indignation.’ He heard Ross chuckle and closed his eyes. 

**********

They got off the train when it came into New York and caught a taxi back to the apartment. Jim paid the driver while Ross out and got their bags from the trunk of the car. He waited for Jim to get out and they walked up the stairs together, Jim unlocking the entrance door and then the front door. Ross shivered.

‘It’s so fucking cold after being down there.’ he grumbled and Jim smiled. 

‘Does that mean you’re going to turn into a snowbird when we’re old?’ he asked. 

‘Definitely.’ Ross dumped the bags on the hall floor and walked into the living room, throwing himself down on the couch. ‘Although we are definitely having cable.’

‘Four days, Ross.’ Jim said walking past him, an absent hand brushing through his curls. ‘It wasn’t even that long.’ He came around and slumped down next to him and Ross snuggled into his side. ‘It is nice to be home though.’

‘Our home.’ Ross said, cushioning his head on Jim’s shoulder. 

‘Yeah.’ Jim kissed the top of his head. ‘Our home.’ He shifted. ‘And a decent fucking bed.’

‘You going to go sleep?’ Ross asked. ‘You slept pretty much all day.’

‘No, bath first then bed.’ Jim said. ‘And I need to call John as well.’ He sighed and fell over onto Ross’ lap. Ross chuckled and stroked his hair. 

‘You need to get up, babe.’ he said. ‘Otherwise you’re going to pass out here.’

‘Just five minutes.’ Jim said, settling himself so he was comfortable. Ross smiled down at him, then dug down the back of the couch and found the remote control just where he’d left it.

By the time he’d settled on a programme, Jim was asleep again. 

The doorbell woke him up later, drooling into Ross’ thigh. He snuffled and struggled into a sitting position to find an amused Ross looking at him, cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth. 

‘Hey sleeping beauty.’ he said. ‘Food’s here.’ Jim moved so he could get up, blinking sleepily. 

‘What did you get?’ he asked and Ross grinned as he went to the hall. 

‘You’ll see.’ he said. Jim sat up and stretched as he heard Ross open the front door and talk to the delivery man. He laughed and then Jim heard the door close and he came back with what looked like a ridiculous number of brown paper take away bags. 

‘That doesn’t smell like Chinese.’ he said. 

‘That’s ‘cause it’s not.’ Ross was grinning as he walked to the kitchen and dumped the bags on the counter. ‘I got Mexican.’ 

‘You did?’ Jim knelt and leaned over the arm of the couch. ‘For me?’

‘For me too. There’s like a thousand orders of guacamole in here.’ Ross smiled. ‘So get your ass upstairs and go have your bath and I’ll stick this stuff in the oven to keep warm and you can eat when you come down.’ 

‘Okay.’ Jim hauled himself off the couch. ‘I’m going.’ He picked up the cordless phone as he walked past the console table. 

‘Are you seriously going to call your dad in the bath?’ Ross asked and Jim smiled. 

‘What better way to tell him to start saving for his little girl’s wedding.’ he said. 

‘Christ, you are so fucking gay sometimes.’ Ross said and laughed as Jim did an imaginary hair flick and sauntered out the room. 

He headed up the stairs, punching in the number for the house in the Bahamas. He heard it connect and then ring and balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder as he got to their room and walked in and through to the bathroom. Everything was spotless and the bed was freshly made up. Jana never took their absence as an indication to not clean or slack off and she’d obviously done her customary bedroom clean the day before as she did every week. He went to the bathtub and started the water, chucking in a half a jar of bath salts and then the call was answered. 

‘You’re back.’ John said, relief in his voice. ‘You and Ross really know how to put on a show.’

‘They got the message?’ Jim smiled as he went back into the bedroom and started to get undressed. He took off his watch and toed off his chucks and lay back on the bed. 

‘They got it loud and clear.’ John said. ‘Good work, lad.’ Jim sighed. 

‘How is she?’ he asked. 

‘She’s going to be fine.’ John said. ‘She’s tough. By the way, she told me.’

‘What?’ Jim was a little outraged but he couldn’t help smiling. ‘I wanted to tell you.’

‘Give her that.’ John said. ‘It’s distracting her, Estefania and Shandra from all the shit of the past two days. She also wanted to ask if you’d opened your presents.’

‘Shit, no we didn’t.’ Jim said. ‘I’ve been kind of wiped.’ He felt a small twinge of hesitation. ‘So, what do you think?’

‘Of you getting married?’ John asked. ‘Or you getting married to Ross?’ 

‘Both.’ Jim said, happiness and relief flooding his voice. He could hear that his father was smiling on the other side. 

‘I think it’s the best news I’ve heard in forever.’ John said. ‘I think that I may even be convinced to come to New York for this.’ 

‘Well, you have a year to build yourself up to the idea.’ Jim said. 

‘Are you planning on bankrupting me?’ John asked. 

‘Not quite.’ Jim replied. ‘But you may need to do some treasure hunting.’


	20. Cuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter for our Christmas time boys.

They were in bed when Jim remembered what John had said about the presents. He got up and went to dig them out of his bag. When he turned back, he supressed a smile. Ross was sitting on his side in his flannel pyjama pants and a ratty band t-shirt, the crucifix a silver gleam against the black.. He had the knife he’d used in Miami in his hands, idly twirling it and playing with the edge.

‘You’re going to cut yourself.’ Jim remarked as he walked to the bed, the three gifts in his hands. He handed Ross his present and then sat back down. Ross, true to form, ripped the paper off with no regard for how long it had taken to wrap. He let out a delighted exclamation as he looked at the Miansai black leather wristband with a matte black anchor and then looked across at Jim as he unwrapped an identical one with tan leather strap and silver anchor. Jim grinned and shook his head. 

‘Any minute now, they’re going to start dressing us the same.’ he said. He reached for the last one. ‘This one is for both of us. It’s from Shandra and Ritchie.’ He handed it to Ross. ‘You might as well do the honours.’ Ross took it and ripped it open and then burst out laughing. He handed the book to Jim.

‘A Beginners Guide to Bondage?’ he said and then rolled his eyes. ‘For fuck’s sake.’ 

‘There’s also these.’ Ross said and held up a pair of furry pink handcuffs.

‘Jesus fucking Christ.’ Jim leaned over and took them from him. ‘What the fuck?’

‘I think it’s funny.’ Ross said, grabbing them back. He avoided Jim’s attempts to take them from him and climbed on top of him. ‘Give me your hands.’

‘No, don’t be ridiculous.’ Jim said, still trying to reach for the handcuffs. Ross held them out of reach and bopped Jim on the nose with his forefinger. 

‘No, bad llama.’ he said. ‘I’m fucking keeping these.’ His smile was wicked. ‘I’m going to use them on you.’ He gave the head rails a meaningful look. They had replaced Jim’s previous bed with an antique iron Victorian one when they’d accidentally broken the wooden headboard with too much vigorous fucking. 

‘Like fuck you are.’ Jim said, and then he moved, almost too quick to track. Ross found himself unceremoniously hauled over so he was on his back and then Jim had the handcuffs dangling in his face, his smile triumphant. ‘Ha!’ 

‘Give those back.’ he hissed and Jim laughed as he fended him off. 

‘Only if you tell me why on Earth I should let you use them on me?’ he replied, laughing as he tried to keep them out of Ross’ hands. Ross’s eyes narrowed and Jim only noticed the change too late. He was so used to being the dominant one in their relationship, that he was a little overconfident. He certainly didn’t expect Ross to surge up and flip him over in turn, using his longer body to pin Jim to the bed. 

Jim stared up at him, completely unable to even fight back as Ross plucked the handcuffs from his hand. Ross’ eyes were impossibly dark, the pupils dilating even as he watched them. He’d gone from his sweet smiling self to that dark predator Jim loved so much in under a second and it excited him enormously to have that dark glare directed at him. It was the first time Ross was daring to behave like this and it made Jim want to do very out of character things. 

Before he knew wat he was doing, he was reaching above his head, hands wrapping themselves around the rails. He was gratified by the surprise in Ross’ face, before his dark brows drew down and his expression turned positively feral. Their eyes locked and Jim drew in a shuddering breath, the arousal flooding him making his cock hard and his heart race.

‘Do it.’ he breathed. Ross didn’t hesitate. He ripped the pink fur off the handcuffs, then used them to cuff Jim to the bed. His own breathing was faster and when he finally sat back, Jim could see from the state of the flannel in front of him that Ross was as turned on as he was. He waited for Ross to make his next move but when he leaned to the bedside table and picked up the knife he’d been playing with Jim was so taken by surprise that he let out a small involuntary sound. ‘What are you doing, Ross?’

‘Have you ever wondered what it would be like?’ Ross breathed, leaning over him, his lips ghosting over Jim’s. ‘To just give it all up and let me do what I want to you?’ He stroked down Jim’s face with the backs of his fingers. ‘God, you’re so fucking beautiful.’ He lifted the knife, letting it drift down Jim’s chest, the tip of the blade dragging lightly through his t-shirt. He looked at Jim, the naked lust on his face making Jim’s body flare with need. 

Their eyes locked and held.

‘What do you want?’ Jim asked, his voice pitching so low he could barely hear himself.

‘Do you trust me?’ Ross asked and Jim nodded.

‘Completely.’ He replied. Ross leaned in and kissed him, his mouth soft and his tongue pressing in gently. Jim opened his mouth in response and it got deep and slow, their tongues dragging over each other’s until they were both breathless.

‘Do you remember the boat?’ Ross murmured and Jim couldn’t help but whine as Ross slipped the knife under his t-shirt and drew it up, the wickedly sharp edge slitting the fabric until Ross had cut it off of him.

‘Oh fuck, Ross…’ He knew he was moaning, but he couldn’t keep it in. 

‘Shhh, baby.’ Ross was smiling. ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’ He placed the knife to one side and started to kiss along Jim’s jaw. Jim tilted his head to accommodate him, his breath catching at the feel of Ross teeth on his neck. Ross was leaning on one hand and he moved the other to the back of Jim’s neck, cradling him while he kissed down, biting softly at Jim’s collar bone. 

It felt so good not being in control, and Jim arched up into Ross’ mouth. Every touch was like fire on his skin and it felt like everything was magnified. 

‘Please.’ he moaned and Ross lifted his head. He moved further down, still watching Jim as he flicked his tongue out, catching the nipple and then breathing over it, the cold of breath on saliva making it harden.

‘I dream of you like this sometimes.’ he whispered. 

‘Like this?’ Jim could hardly breathe properly. The eroticism of the situation has making him almost dizzy. 

‘Sometimes there’s blood.’ Ross licked placidly at his nipple. ‘Sometimes I cut you and make you come like that.’ He latched on, sucking hard and Jim tightened his grip on the railings. 

‘Do it.’ he said and this time Ross’ head came up sharply. His hazel eyes were alive with excitement.

‘Don’t play with me.’ he said and his voice was shaking. Jim fixed his eyes on him, his gaze steady.

‘Cut me, Ross.’ he said and felt Ross shiver. ‘I want you to.’

Ross surged up towards him, his hand at Jim’s throat and kissed him hard. It felt desperate and his responded in kind, giving up all his control as he opened his mouth and let Ross invade it. Ross thrust down against him and Jim whined into his mouth as the friction bought him perilously close to the edge. Then he was gone, yanking at Jim’s shorts until they were off and chucked on the floor. He did the same with his clothes, climbing back onto the bed naked and kneeling over Jim.

He ran one hand down Jim’s body reverently until he got to Jim’s cock, wrapping his strong fingers around it and stroking so gently the touch was almost torturous. Jim could feel how wet his own cock was already, pre-come making Ross’ fingers shiny. He looked down and Ross moved lower until he could lean down and drag his tongue over the head. 

‘Christ.’ he breathed. ‘You taste so fucking good.’ He did it again then slipped his mouth over the head, sucking just hard enough. Jim strained against the cuffs, head falling back and letting his legs open wide. 

‘Please Ross…’ It came out strained. ‘Fuck me…’

Ross hummed once, the vibrations going through both of them. He was moving his head now, the slick heat of his mouth beyond perfect. Then he pulled off slowly and moved Jim’ legs over his shoulders, tilting his hips up to give him access. Jim went with it and then Ross tongue was pressing into him and he cried out once, eyes squeezed shut against the assault on his senses. 

Ross kept his pace slow, licking just hard enough to drive Jim to distraction. Every now and then he pulled away from up to gently push one finger inside, pressing lightly against his prostate. Jim had long since giving up trying to control himself, every twist inside him eliciting such pleasure that nothing else mattered to him right at that moment. It was like Ross was breaking him into pieces and slowly fitting them back together the way he wanted.

Just when it felt like he couldn’t hang on anymore, Ross let go of him and moved to kneel between his legs. His eyes where in shadow, his dark curls untamed and hanging in his face. He leaned far across to the bedside table, coming back with the lube. Jim watched as he emptied some onto his fingers, reaching between Jim’s legs once more to push it inside him and then use the residue on his own cock. He looked at him and Jim stared back, then nodded. 

Ross moved in over him and Jim bit his bottom lip as he felt Ross push in. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and then felt his body relax and Ross go in in one smooth thrust. He was still on his knees and he took Jim’s legs, moving them so his calves were against Ross’ shoulders. It meant he went deep on every thrust and Jim could do nothing but watch him. It hit him perfectly, Ross’ cock skating over his prostate, but he wanted more. Ross caught his look and slowed his pace, pulling out almost all the way and then sliding back in, mouthing at the inner bone of Jim’s ankle. 

He kept going and then leaned down far enough to pick up the knife from where he’d left it next to them. Jim’s eyes were drawn to it and Ross let his legs down so he could come forward, hips still moving in that perfectly measured undulation.

‘Would you come if I cut you?’ he breathed and Jim keened, unable to even answer. He watched the blade come to rest against his skin, just below his left nipple. Ross held it there, no pressure at all. The tension was so thick it felt like Jim was choking on it and then Ross pressed in just hard enough and there was a tiny flash of pain as the tip of the knife cut through his skin, blood welling up around it. 

It was enough to send a shock wave through him and Jim arched back onto Ross’ cock, his voice breaking as he came. The tremors racked his body, the combination of the pain and light and everything that was Ross filling him until there was nothing left. When he came down he was knocked out by it, barely conscious as Ross dropped the knife and bent his head to lick up the blood now running across his skin, hips driving hard and fast now as he raced towards the edge himself. Jim locked his legs around Ross’ hips, pulling him in, desperate to grab at the dark hair but completely unable to. Ross winced in pain and then his mouth was on Jim’s throat, teeth biting down hard as he fucked into him mercilessly. Jim held on grimly, matching Ross’ moans as the drive of Ross cock inside him left him unable to catch himself, unable to steady and even out until he felt Ross’ rhythm falter and then he cried out into Jim’s neck, hips stuttering as he came. 

He slowed and then stopped and pushed himself up. The cut on Jim’s chest was still bleeding profusely and he watched Ross drag his fingers through the blood and then lift them to his mouth, slowly licking it off. When he looked at Jim, face flushed and chest heaving, he smiled and there was blood between his teeth. Jim honestly thought he’d never seen him looking more beautiful than he was at that moment. 

‘You’ve damned me to hell, you know that?’ he said and Ross’ eyes glittered in the lamplight. ‘My fallen angel.’

‘Only so long as you come with me.’ he replied and then he was back on his hands, kissing Jim so gently it was almost heart-breaking. ‘Hell would be no fun without you.’

‘Just watch them try to keep me away from you.’ he whispered when they parted. 

Ross laughed softly and kissed him again.

***********

The next morning brought the sound of clicking nails on the stairs and high pitched yips as they were assaulted by two highly overexcited little bodies that wriggled all over them and then insinuated themselves under the duvet. Ross lay on his back, laughing as the dogs licked his toes and Jim moved onto one elbow and watched him. Ross was so utterly gorgeous when he laughed in that perfectly uninhibited way he had. 

‘You are back.’ Jim looked at the doorway to see Jana standing with her arms folded. ‘You do not call to tell me you will be early.’ She sounded extremely disapproving. ‘The kitchen looks like bomb site.’

‘Did you have a nice Christmas, Jana?’ he asked and she snorted. 

‘It was interesting. I leave Anja. She hit me and I leave. I fuck Emma now.’ And on that note she turned around and walked off, leaving Jim gaping after her.

‘Excuse me?’ he half shouted, scrambling out of bed and into his boxers so he could follow her down the stairs. ‘As in you’re fucking my boss Emma?’ His voice got more and more disconcerted as he went downstairs, and Ross snickered as it became clear that Jim obviously wasn’t getting the reply he wanted. 

He shoved the boys off of him and they curled up alongside his legs, then reached for his phone. It seemed like bombshells were going to be the order of the morning and he knew just how to add to them. It took five rings for the phone to be answered and Ross leaned back into his pillows and smiled to himself. 

‘Good morning, Mother.’ he said. ‘I thought I’d ring to say Merry Christmas and tell you that I’m getting married.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the end of the series of course, but we will be having a little break. Expect them to be back for summer :D


End file.
